Nintendo Switch Sports was announced at February’s Nintendo Direct event, and fans of Wii Sports were instantly reminded of the game that they played all those years ago. With a handful of returning activities, it takes advantage of the Switch’s functionality to refine the edges of its spiritual predecessor. Tennis, Chambara, Soccer, and Bowling all pick up where the Wii titles left off, but one of the most-played mini-games remains absent. The recent Nintendo Direct shed new light on the state of the much-anticipated Golf update, which was initially scheduled for a fall release, announcing its delay until the holiday season.
The lack of golf in Nintendo Switch Sports by no means diminishes the game’s value, as it’s a delightful collection of activities that is equal parts nostalgic and innovative. However, golf’s absence is felt, especially as it was a mainstay of Wii Sports since the very beginning. To be met with a longer wait than was initially promised is a source of frustration for many, but it could be to Nintendo’s detriment more than any other, as it could only serve to stall the popularity of the 2022 title as it fades into the background of the Nintendo Switch’s stellar library.
Nintendo Switch Sports Hasn’t Got Wii Sports’ Longevity
While it was initially pitched as a successor to Wii Sports, and its quality more than stacks up to what came before, the reality is that Nintendo Switch Sports arrived on the system too late to gain a large enough audience to satisfy expectations. Longevity is vital to any game that isn’t a narrative-focused affair, and while Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is as relevant as ever four years after its release, Nintendo Switch Sports simply isn’t as committed to the long run. The golf update arriving in the fall would have been a short enough wait for players to build their excitement, but pushing it back to over half a year after the game’s launch could be too late to garner the same level of interest.
At the moment, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is pushing new content on a semi-regular basis, meaning that there’s always something new to look forward to. As such the player count rarely depletes enough not to justify more attention from Nintendo. Nintendo Switch Sports has the potential to forge a legacy of a similar magnitude as its gameplay options are far more diverse than Mario Kartand more universally appealing to a range of audiences than Super Smash Bros. Delaying the one event that was scheduled to arrive post-launch isn’t a promising first step if the title wants to retain a strong fanbase moving forward.
Golf Could (and Should) Be The First of Many
Nintendo Switch Sports is likely to include more sports down the line, developing upon some concepts present in Wii Sports spirit Wii Sports Resort. This is an exciting thought, as the game has the potential to be a platform for other family friendly competition to take place. Golf’s delay shows that the development process isn’t as seamless as initially believed, and raises questions about the future of the release and how it will handle future events moving forward.
The Nintendo Switch is likely in its twilight era, more than five years after its launch, and in that time it has established a broad library. From the launch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to the recent revelation of Pikmin 4, the system has a vast range of offerings either available, or right around the corner. However, although Nintendo Switch Sports is a standout title of 2022 for the hybrid console, pushing its popularity into 2023 and beyond seems like a harder feat than ever now that the Golf update has run into scheduling problems. The Switch simply hasn’t got enough time left to facilitate such a sparsely-updated game.
Nintendo Switch Sports is available now on Nintendo Switch.