Nintendo Exec: Switch Could Get More Wii U Re-Releases

The Wii U was a disappointment from a sales perspective, selling 13.56 million systems by Nintendo’s latest count, compared to more than 100 million for the Wii. Matching that sales level was probably never going to happen for the Wii U, but it is understood that the Wii U underperformed. The Nintendo Switch is off to a strong start, helping Nintendo’s market cap surpass Sony’s, and with strong demand for the console and new games coming out, it seems the sales figure stands to climb higher and higher.

In an interview with Waypoint, Nintendo executive Reggie Fils-Aime said fans can expect more enhanced versions of Wii U games coming to Switch, following Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokken Tournament Deluxe. Those games originally were released as Wii U-exclusives, but the new versions have more content and features, something Nintendo sounds like it will continue.

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“Given the install base of Wii U, there was some fantastic content that consumers did not get to play,” Fils-Aime said. “So that creates certainly a business opportunity. On the other hand, one of the things that we’ve discussed internally is, there really needs to be an additional element to that game to make it fresh, and to further compel the consumer to buy in.”

“I think the best example of that is Pokken Tournament Deluxe. Additional fighters, that gives the fan a reason to buy into it. Same is true with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, providing a mode that the consumers wanted in terms of a better battle mode, that was then included in that game. And so, I think the way we will continue to evaluate this is: yes, do we have opportunities with great games that maybe were not played as broadly on the Wii U, but then what’s the plus alpha that’s going to make it really compelling for the consumer?”

Of course, Fils-Aime did not mention any unannounced titles, though he did tease, “I can tell you there’s more to be announced.” One possibility for a Wii U-to-Switch port is Super Smash Bros. The game sold 5.2 million copies for Wii U, and, being one of Nintendo’s biggest and best-known franchises, a version for Switch with possibly new characters and more features could be great.

In March, Fils-Aime said Switch owners can expect that all of Nintendo’s major franchises–including Smash Bros.–will eventually come to the console. So it now just seems like a matter of when, not if.

You can read the full interview here at Waypoint.

What Wii U games would you like to see come to Nintendo Switch? Smash Bros. gets my vote. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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