Nintendo plans to bolster NX launch with Mario, Pokemon, Zelda releases

Console launches can be a tricky thing, and making sure a new console has enough big ticket games to support it can be even trickier – as evidenced by the fact that it rarely happens. It's a common complaint you hear every console cycle, with early adopters frequently lamenting the fact that they don't have any games to play on their shiny new game machine. It would seem that Nintendo isn't interested in letting that happen with its incoming NX console, if new rumors are to be believed.

According to sources who spoke to MCV, Nintendo wants the NX to hit the ground running, and as a result, the company will be bringing in its big guns to support the console's launch. These sources claim that Nintendo will have Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon games on the NX within six months of launch, which if true should help it move some consoles from the get-go.

Of course, we already know that Nintendo will be bringing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to the NX, but managing to get releases from Mario and Pokemon out in the same time frame could do a lot to pull in those early adopters and keep them happy. As we've seen with the Wii U, first-party support will only take a console so far, but this report also says that Nintendo has been busy wooing third-parties, with the likes of Square Enix, Ubisoft, Sega, Activision, and Warner Bros primed and ready to make some games.

Finally, these sources said that the recent rumors from Eurogamer – the ones that claimed the NX will be a cartridge-based hybrid console with detachable controllers – are completely true, so take that as you will. We've been hearing a lot about the NX, but at the end of the day, the console is still intentionally shrouded in mystery, with Nintendo afraid of giving competitors an edge if it says too much about its new console before the time is right. Nintendo is aiming to have the NX on store shelves in March 2017, so those official details should hopefully be coming around the bend soon.

SOURCE: MCV