Kirby is easily one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, thanks in no small part to its lovable, pink protagonist. The action platformer series has been ongoing for more than three decades, and has been a mainstay on Nintendo consoles throughout the ages. In fact, there are currently 19 Kirby games on the Nintendo Switch, some of which are playable natively while others are playable through Nintendo Switch Online. Mainline entries like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe, and Kirby Star Allies are all available on Nintendo’s hybrid system, but there are some that are still missing. One of these games, however, is apparently coming to the Switch in the near future.
Earlier this month, the reputable insider NateTheHate alleged in a recent episode of his podcast that a remaster of the 2016 3DS exclusive Kirby: Planet Robobot was in development. The game, Nate said, was being made for the current Nintendo Switch, although he didn’t comment on whether it would receive a native port for Nintendo’s unannounced next-generation console. NateTheHate doesn’t usually leak information about remasters, but he does have a sizable track record when it comes to Nintendo information, so it’s entirely possible that this rumor of his is true. If Kirby: Planet Robobot is indeed brought to the Switch in the near future, its release may become a repeat of a similar situation that previously occurred with the Nintendo 3DS.
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Kirby: Planet Robobot’s Rumored Switch Port Would Be a Double-Edged Sword
Although the potential hype surrounding an upcoming Kirby port would be great for the series’ legacy, it could also impede new opportunities.
History May Repeat Itself With the Rumored Kirby: Planet Robobot Remaster
The 3DS Had a Long Lifespan, Compared to Other Handhelds
Nintendo’s first eighth-generation handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, was released more than 10 years ago, which, for some gamers, may be hard to believe. The console hit store shelves worldwide in February 2011 and was initially a commercial disappointment, but after years of strong first-party support, Nintendo was able to turn things around for it in the long run. The 3DS wasn’t able to reach the lofty heights of its predecessor, the Nintendo DS, in terms of sales, but it still sold really well across the board and shipped a grand total of 75 million units, as of 2022.
Thanks to its long-term success, the 3DS had a surprisingly long lifespan compared to other handhelds like the PlayStation Vita and the Game Boy Advance. Even after the Switch was released in 2017, Nintendo still supported the dual-screen console for a few more years. In fact, the last Nintendo-published game released for the 3DS was Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn, which made its international debut on March 8, 2019.
For those who don’t know, Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn is not a new, original installment in the Kirby franchise, but rather a remaster of a 2010 Kirby platformer from the Wii called Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Despite running on significantly weaker hardware, the 3DS version of Kirby’s Epic Yarn is pretty much the exact same game as its Wii counterpart, but with a couple of additional features on top. Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn has a more challenging difficulty setting called Devilish Mode, and it includes a couple of new sub-games, like Dedede Gogogo and Slash & Bead.
The Kirby: Planet Robobot Switch Remaster Could Replicate What Happened on the 3DS
Just like the 3DS at the time of Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn‘s release, the Switch is nearing the end of its lifespan. Nintendo’s latest system has been out on the market for nearly 8 years, and first-party support for the system (at least in terms of blockbuster AAA releases) has gradually been winding down. Now that the Nintendo Switch 2 is on the horizon, there are only so many more games that can be released for the console going forward. Therefore, it is entirely possible that, if the rumored Kirby: Planet Robobot remaster does exist, it may be one of the last, if not the last, Nintendo-published games to ever be developed for the current Switch. Assuming this happens, it will be quite a coincidence for Nintendo to end two console generations in a row with Kirby remasters.
Kirby
The Kirby game franchise stars the adorable pink blob with a voracious appetite. Kirby games have covered the 2D and 3D platformer genre for decades and are set across multiple consoles, with plenty of spin-offs along the way. Kirby’s unique ability allows him to suck up enemies to gain their powers.