Nintendo Switch Will Get Many “Highly Anticipated” Third-Party Titles This Year, Says Famitsu

According to the Japanese video game magazine Famitsu, a number of exciting third-party games are coming to the Nintendo Switch this fiscal year. Following the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the first-party release slate for the console is pretty dry. However, per Famitsu, that won’t hold the console back as many “highly anticipated” games from other studios are scheduled to launch on the Switch in Fiscal Year 2023.

In addition to Nintendo, a number of highly anticipated titles are scheduled to be released by third parties. It can be said that Nintendo Switch’s strength is that not only new titles but also old titles continue to sell.”

The article in the magazine did not reveal what exactly these games are going to be. But, fans already have a few guesses about the nature of these titles. One popular pick of fans on the ResetEra forum is the rumored remake of Persona 3. Even though developer Atlus hasn’t officially announced this game, leaks have confirmed its existence and development.

Another rumored third-party title that fans think could launch on the Switch soon is the Final Fantasy 9 remake. Just like Persona 3, this remake is not official yet even though fans think Square Enix can announce it this year. Hence, only time can tell if these two are part of the highly-anticipated games coming to the console or not. As of yet, only two exciting third-party projects are confirmed to release on the Nintendo Switch this year.

NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat is one of them and will come out on the handheld this September. On the other hand, one of 2023’s biggest hits, Hogwarts Legacy, is launching on the Switch on November 14, 2023. But, as we all know, the title has been out for a while now so it probably doesn’t fit the “highly anticipated” tagline. Besides this, not many big third-party games are confirmed for Nintendo Switch for FY2023.

However, the console’s first-party slate has a few more titles in its arsenal. Pikmin 4 is launching on the console this July in addition to Metroid Prime 4, whose release date is secret. Besides these first-party titles, several new additional DLCs and expansions are also arriving for older games. This includes the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet – The Hidden Treasure Of Area Zero DLC, which comes out in Q3 2023.

In addition, Booster Course Pass Wave 5 & 6 will release for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on an unannounced date. Famitsu also mentioned how older titles are continuously selling in heaps on the Nintendo Switch, which has sold nearly 30 million units in Japan. Therefore, with the console peaking and exceeding 122.5 million in worldwide sales as of February 2023, Nintendo probably doesn’t need many first-party games to support it.