Reggie Talks Up Nintendo Switch Virtual Console and Target Audience

In an interview with TIME, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Amie elaborated on the Nintendo Switch’s virtual console, and who exactly Nintendo is targeting with their hybrid system.

When asked about who Nintendo made the Switch for, Reggie said the following:


Just like every system Nintendo creates, we believe in having a very wide footprint, and we are experienced enough in this industry to know that the footprint changes over time. We believe that by [next holiday season], with the launch of Super Mario Odyssey, that the footprint for Nintendo Switch will be very broad. Kids, young adults, parents, gamers will occupy that footprint. But what’s going to happen is that, that space is going to be filled in at each point in time with the subsequent launches.

So for example, if you look at the first 45 days, you’ve got Zelda, 1-2 Switch, Mario Kart 8. So the active gamer. And candidly, the more the active gamer sees, the more excited they’re going to be for that game. […]1-2 Switch is a party in a box. And so that is going to be an all family type of experience that will then broaden the footprint. And then Mario Kart 8 is going to expand it even further. And so that’s what I see happening.

A game like Arms will have a diverse footprint. A game like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be much more narrow. And so, I think it’s the best way I could describe how the consumer base for Switch is going to evolve over time. And certainly by the end of our first full year, it’ll be kids, young adults, parents and gamers occupying that footprint.

Later on, when asked about his stance on the Wii U’s perceived failure, Reggie also touched upon fan requests for a GameCube virtual console, saying:

And it’s interesting, you know, as consumers think back, the fondness and the memories shift. I joined the company as GameCube was ending its life. And as we look at the install base of the platform, certainly it’s not one of our higher install base platforms. And yet it seems the talk now is all about how consumers are hoping that there’s a GameCube virtual console, which I just find interesting.

While a GameCube virtual console has been rumored for the Switch, this is the first statement from Nintendo about it in any way, shape or form. Let’s hope the rumors are true, and that Reggie is teasing some classics like Super Mario Sunshine and Super Smash Bros. Melee coming to the hybrid console.


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