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Nintendo Switch Sports

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Nintendo Switch Sports
Developer(s)Nintendo EPD[a]
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Yoshikazu Yamashita
Producer(s)Kouichi Kawamoto
Takayuki Shimamura
Designer(s)Hirotake Otsubo
Yoji Kamikawa
Koji Kitagawa
Kazuhiro Yoshikawa
Atsuto Yagi
Ryosuke Suzuki
Sota Omiya
Ikki Niwa
Programmer(s)Yuki Onozawa
Hideyuki Tatsuta
Kenji Iwata
Artist(s)Junji Morii
Gurihiru
Composer(s)Haruko Torii
Takuhiro Honda
SeriesWii
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch
ReleaseApril 29, 2022
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Nintendo Switch Sports[b] is a 2022 sports simulation video game produced by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the sequel to Wii Sports Club (2014) as part of the Wii Sports subseries, itself of the Wii series of games, as well as the first to replace the "Wii" title.[1][2] The game features eight sports: Volleyball, Badminton, Bowling, Golf, Soccer, Chambara, Tennis and Basketball. Released on April 29, 2022, Nintendo Switch Sports received generally mixed reviews from critics[3] and has sold over 13.11 million copies,[c] making it one of the best-selling Nintendo Switch games.[4]

Gameplay

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A player aiming the ball in a "special" round of the game's online Survival Bowling mode

Nintendo Switch Sports is set in a fictional multisport facility named Spocco Square,[5] which contains three sports from previous installments (Tennis and Bowling from Wii Sports and Swordplay from Wii Sports Resort; the latter is referred to as Chambara within the game) and three new sports (soccer, volleyball, and badminton).[6] Another sport from a previous installment, Golf, was announced as well and was issued in a free update on November 29, 2022.[1][7][8] As part of the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced the addition of Basketball (previously featured in Wii Sports Resort), which was released as a free update on July 10.

Players utilize the Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con in a similar manner to the other Wii Sports games, positioning them in a manner resembling the actual sport. The gyroscope functionality embedded within the Joy-Con is used to simulate motion in-game,[9] compared to the usage of the Wii Remote (and occasionally the Nunchuk)[10] to simulate motion in the other games in the series.[11][12]

Alongside Miis, new avatars called "Sportsmates" have been introduced,[13][14] which have more detailed hair and faces as well as arms and legs.[15] Additionally, the Leg Strap accessory introduced in Ring Fit Adventure is included in the physical copy of the game and is usable in Football. At launch, the leg strap only worked for Football Shootout Mode. As of the Summer update launched in July 2022, the leg strap can now be used for all Football match types.

The game has multiplayer available both locally on the same system and online. Local matchmaking allows up to four local players to participate in games together in a similar manner to previous entries in the series. Online allows up to two local players to play with friends and participate in random matchmaking over the internet.[16]

Development

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The game was announced in a Nintendo Direct on February 9, 2022, with a release date of April 29, 2022.[3] A free-to-play online playtest of the game to test functionality and stability was available to register on February 15, 2022, for those with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The playtest was available to play during specific times on February 18 to 20, 2022.[1][7][17]

Takayuki Shimamura, who directed all the Wii Sports series, returned to this title as producer, and Yoshikazu Yamashita, who directed Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, returned as director. The project started a while after the Nintendo Switch system was released. Yoshiaki Koizumi, Senior Executive Officer, Deputy General Manager of Nintendo EPD, and general producer of the Nintendo Switch, called Yamashita and requested the development of a Nintendo Switch title in the Wii Sports series. According to Yamashita, 90% of the members of the development team were new members who weren't part of the past Wii series titles.[18]

Development of post-release content has faced setbacks. In September 2022, Nintendo announced that the golf game mode, which was previously targeted for release in fall 2022, would be delayed to winter.[19] In October 2022, an update intended to address cheating in online play was released with a bug that caused the game to crash in both online and offline modes, forcing Nintendo to stop distributing the update and take the game's servers offline until a solution could be found.[20][21]

Reception

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According to review aggregator Metacritic, the game received "mixed or average" reviews from critics upon release.[22]

Nintendo World Report praised the minigames for being easy to pick up, but criticized the Joy-Con motion controls, saying that it had "removed a little bit of variance and nuance".[29] GamesRadar+ liked the new soccer mini game, writing that it was "brilliantly chaotic when another human player gets involved in local multiplayer".[33] While enjoying the game for family-friendly entertainment, The Guardian disliked volleyball, stating, "the pace is slow and the movements too obvious".[34] VG247 felt that the motions used in each game captured the feeling of the sports, even if they were only approximations.[35]

Game Informer enjoyed the gear unlock system in the game, "this simple progression system kept me engaged and eager to dive back into the action".[24] Conversely, Destructoid criticized it for being too online-centric, "all of the game’s long-term reward systems are directly linked to online play... For a game that made its money on local play, this seems like a bummer".[36] IGN liked the flexibility of badminton, and called attention to its use of HD Rumble, saying that the Joy-Con gave off "precise haptic feedback that I could feel in my hand whenever the racquet connected with the birdie to make a satisfying *ting* sensation".[27] The Verge disliked the simplicity of the racquet-based sports, "The games are still fun, but I wish I could have had more strategy to play them than 'swing your arm and pray'".[37] The Washington Post felt that the AI partner could make volleyball too easy, writing that it "could work around just about anything to bail me out. I don’t think I ever really lost unless I completely whiffed on an attempt".[38]

Nintendo Life wrote that the game suffered from a lack of content outside the main sports, "If you want to play one of the six sports, you're golden. If you want anything to spice it up, you're more than likely going to be left wanting. We know we were".[28] GameSpot criticized the lack of single-player options, saying "It quickly began feeling repetitive... If playing Nintendo Switch Sports with others is a joyous communal experience, playing alone is a depressingly isolating one".[25] Polygon felt it captured the joy of the original Wii Sports but noted that the motion controls felt like a step down from Resort.[39]

Sales

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The game sold nearly 190,000 copies in its first week in Japan, topping the weekly sales charts.[40] Similarly, the game topped the weekly sales charts in the UK,[41] South Korea and Taiwan.[42] In the United States, it charted at number 5 for the month of April based on physical sales alone, becoming the second best-selling new release of the month, behind Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.[43]

Nintendo Switch Sports has sold over 13.11 million copies as of March 31, 2024.[4]

It was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Family at the 19th British Academy Games Awards[44] and Best Family Game at The Game Awards 2022.

Notes

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  1. ^ Additional development support for v1.5.0 by Eighting
  2. ^ Japanese: ニンテンドースイッチスポーツ, Hepburn: Nintendō Suitchi Supōtsu
  3. ^ as of March 31, 2024

References

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  1. ^ a b c McWhertor, Michael (February 9, 2022). "Nintendo Switch is getting a Wii Sports sequel". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  2. ^ "'Nintendo Switch Sports' brings bowling, tennis and more on April 29th". Engadget. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Nintendo Switch™ Sports for Nintendo Switch™ – Official Site". nintendoswitchsports.nintendo.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Financial Results Explanatory Material" (PDF). Nintendo. May 8, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Rivera, Joshua (March 31, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports overview welcomes you to 'Spocco Square'". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  6. ^ Peters, Jay (February 9, 2022). "Nintendo is making a new Wii Sports for the Switch". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Lyles, Taylor (February 9, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports is the Long-Awaited Sequel to One of the Wii's Most Popular Games". IGN. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "Nintendo Switch Sports - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch". YouTube. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  9. ^ Wood, Austin (February 9, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports will revive Wii Sports this April and you can try it this month". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  10. ^ Turner, Daniel (July 1, 2007). "Hack: The Nintendo Wii". MIT Technology Review. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  11. ^ Wald, Heather (February 18, 2022). "Switch Sports could be one of Nintendo's most important releases in 2022". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  12. ^ Shea, Brian (February 9, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports Carries On The Legacy Of Wii Sports In April". Game Informer. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  13. ^ "Official Nintendo Twitter account". Twitter. February 9, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  14. ^ Veltin, Tobias (February 13, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports: Wer sich über fehlende Miis aufregt, sollte genauer hinschauen" [Nintendo Switch Sports: If you are upset about the missing Miis, you should take a closer look]. GamePro (in German). Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  15. ^ Cameron, Ellie (February 19, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports: 10 Things Revealed At Nintendo Direct". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
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  17. ^ Kennedy, Victoria (February 16, 2022). "You can now register for the Nintendo Switch Sports online play test". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "Ask the Developer Vol. 5, Nintendo Switch Sports–Part 1 - Nintendo". Archived from the original on June 11, 2022.
  19. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (September 13, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports golf update delayed to winter". Polygon.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  20. ^ Norman, Jim (October 14, 2022). "Nintendo Pulls Latest Switch Sports Update Following Game Crashes". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  21. ^ Wales, Matt (October 14, 2022). "Switch Sports servers now offline while Nintendo investigates crashing issue". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Nintendo Switch Sports for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  23. ^ Carter, Chris (May 2, 2022). "Review: Nintendo Switch Sports". Destructoid. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Guisao, Steven (May 4, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports Review: Par For The Course". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Indovina, Kurt (April 27, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports - Better Together". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Loveridge, Sam (April 29, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports Review: "Really is a social game through and through"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Stevens, Colin. "Nintendo Switch Sports". IGN. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  28. ^ a b Olney, Alex (April 29, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports Review (Switch): Wii haven't come far". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  29. ^ a b Ronaghan, Neal (May 5, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  30. ^ Minor, Jordan (April 27, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports Review". PCMag. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  31. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (April 27, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports review: Wii would like to play". Shacknews. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  32. ^ MacDonald, Keza (April 27, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports review – the return of slapstick fun". The Guardian. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  33. ^ Sam Loveridge (April 29, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports review: "Really is a social game through and through"". gamesradar. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  34. ^ "Nintendo Switch Sports review – the return of slapstick fun". The Guardian. April 27, 2022. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  35. ^ "Nintendo Switch Sports review: a simple, formulaic nostalgia-fest – and one of the most fun games of the year". VG247. April 29, 2022. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  36. ^ "Review: Nintendo Switch Sports". Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  37. ^ Parrish, Ash (April 27, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports isn't a must-own, but it's a great party game". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  38. ^ "Review | 'Nintendo Switch Sports' is a grab bag of great games and duds". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  39. ^ Plante, Chris (April 27, 2022). "Nintendo Switch Sports is the Wii Sports sequel we dreamt of". Polygon. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  40. ^ "Famitsu Sales: 4/25/22 - 5/8/22 [Update 2]". Gematsu. May 12, 2022. Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  41. ^ "Nintendo Switch Sports smashes to No.1 | UK Boxed Charts". GamesIndustry.biz. May 2022. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  42. ^ 巴哈姆特. "MediaCreate 4 月 25 日～5 月 1 日一週銷售排行榜 《Switch 運動》熱潮席捲三地". 巴哈姆特電玩資訊站. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  43. ^ "US NPD: Switch surpasses PS4 sales as Elden Ring takes Vanguard's crown". VGC. May 13, 2022. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  44. ^ "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. March 2, 2023. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
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