Nintendo fans were treated to a handful of new announcements during the latest Nintendo Direct presentation. There were numerous highlights, including a first look at brand-new games like Super Mario Bros Wonder, but ports and remasters of older games were just as welcome surprises as the newer content. One of the most notable of these ports was Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, a game initially released for the 3DS that is now confirmed to be coming over to the Nintendo Switch at some point in the future.
This is welcome news, as Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon was previously locked to the 3DS, not available on any other platform beyond Nintendo's previous handheld device. The game was teased to have some reworked visuals for a sharper presentation, and will add to the Switch's already impressive library of games on the horizon. However, the confirmation of Dark Moon on Switch raises the question of whether Nintendo plans to continue porting a certain selection of past titles from its catalog: 3DS games.
The Treasure Trove of 3DS Games
The 3DS library is extensive and jam packed with just as much classics as any other Nintendo console. Having nearly every major franchise represented on the handheld gave players a solid offering of familiar favorites and innovative new ideas for gaming on the go. From The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds to Metroid: Samus Returns, there was no shortage of things to play on the 3DS.
The issue is, as mentioned before, that several of these must own games are only available on the 3DS as of right now. This can make it difficult for newer fans (or players wanting to revisit old titles) to get their hands on these many 3DS games. Buying older hardware and software can not only be expensive, but extremely difficult as well due to the quantity and rarity of some of these titles. Considering the total number of Switch consoles sold worldwide, with players always hungry for something new to play, Nintendo is sitting on a gold mine of potential ports at the moment.
Giving Switch Owners More Games To Enjoy
There are rumors that Nintendo's next home console is in the works, and although no concrete info is available, it's likely to arrive at some point in the next few years. For that reason, bigger games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are probably going to slow down on the Switch, as focus on AAA quality games will shift to whatever Nintendo has in store next for its future console.
In that time though, the company will want to avoid a drought of content for the hundreds of millions of players currently enjoying the Switch. For that reason, diving back into the repertoire of 3DS games would be a viable option to satisfy fans and make Nintendo some easy money. While any aspect of game development isn't easy, it would be safe to assume that a port job or remaster would be much simpler than making a new game from scratch.
This would result in a win-win for everyone involved, giving Nintendo a lucrative new income source and fans joy for being able to enjoy these older titles. Games like Kid Icarus: Uprising, for example, can be very pricey to buy second hand nowadays, so making them easily accessible via the Nintendo eShop or with a dedicated new physical release is just one example of how this can pay off for Nintendo in the long run. All in all, the Switch is becoming a hub to dive into past generations of Nintendo, with NES, SNES, and N64 already available. It wouldn't hurt to toss 3DS into the mix as well.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is coming to the Nintendo Switch.
