Somehow 2 exclusives found their way to Nintendo’s hybrid console. Cuphead was a major surprise and now Ori joins the club… What’s next and how hyped should we be for more Xbox exclusives coming to Switch?
Nintendo and Xbox have been showing the world lately that exclusivity is not the only way to raise your brand. Sharing IP’s has been very fruitful especially considering how the Switch console sells like hotdogs at the Super Bowl. It started in 2017 with Minecraft. After its acquisition by Microsoft the very successful brand found its way to the Switch and it had some #1 chart sales to show that sharing is caring…And sharing in profits! For Nintendo it is a major 3rd party to join its roster and for Microsoft it means extra sales and it is free promotion on a competitor’s hardware. Both companies win with Game Pass!
Who else wins? We, the consumer. We get to enjoy a broader shelf of software without standard limitations of hardware acquisition. That means you won’t have to give away that remaining kidney to buy an Xbox One or a Switch if you don’t own both and you just want to play the critically acclaimed Cuphead!
On the 20th of March last year Nintendo dropped the mic with a reveal that was teased and leaked before but still was a joy to see it coming true: Cuphead was coming to Switch! The 2 player co-op sidescroller already looked like it was made for the Switch and its share-hungry Joy-Con. Again this release was another step forward to a long lasting and fruitful collaboration between Nintendo and Xbox.
Now fast forward to today and another bunch of exclusives drops down on Switch: Banjo &Kazooie in Smash?! That’s some sweet Microsoft love there. New Super Lucky tales seems like another great fit for Switch! And Gamescom dropped this today; Ori and the Blind Forest coming to Switch by the end of September already. This cult game from 2015 is perfect to play on Switch and somehow it seems like the most brilliant strategy for Microsoft. Xbox will release a new Ori game soon on its Xbox One and PC so imagine someone owning a Switch and falling in love with this amazing artsy and dreamy game. That person will want to play the follow up game. And will have to buy an Xbox piece of hardware.
While we should just be happy to play Ori on Switch I’d like to invite you into a train of thought…
What other major Xbox IP is seeing a release soon? Yes, Halo. The pinnacle of sci-fi FPS on Xbox.
The best promotion would be to release the Master Chief Collection on Switch. Think of it, a boy or girl sees Halo in the E-shop and plays it on Switch. The kid is bound to fall in love with the franchise and it will want more of the Halo universe. Microsoft’s publicity will work like a charm when the kid will be prompted to a trailer featuring the brand new Halo Infinite game on the next gen Xbox hardware. If that isn’t a win for Xbox then what is?
We are sure that all the above mentioned games are just a tease and were there to test the waters on Nintendo’s side before releasing some Halo goodness onto the Switch. So what do you think? Would it be brilliant marketing or should the Halo franchise remain on Xbox to avoid what some would call “Blasphemy!?”? Let us know in the comment section below why it is or isn’t a good idea!
