2025 is going to be a big year for video games, thanks in no small part to the upcoming launch of the successor to the Nintendo Switch. The Switch 2, as it’s often called, has been the subject of countless leaks and rumors for quite some time. The next-gen console was reportedly going to be released sometime in 2024, but it was allegedly pushed back a year for unknown reasons. These rumors were never confirmed by any official sources, but they would explain why 2024 was a pretty light period for Nintendo in terms of first-party releases. Whatever the case may be, 2025 is finally going to be the year that Nintendo gives its fans a first look at the Switch 2.
Rumors suggest that the Switch’s successor is going to have a sizable selection of first-party exclusives upon its release; however, nothing is currently known about what these games could be. The idea that a new 3D Mario game will be one of these Switch 2 launch titles has been floating around as of late. This seems fairly plausible, considering Super Mario Odyssey was released nearly a decade ago. Many have also theorized that the console will launch with a new Donkey Kong game, a remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or even a follow-up to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. While all these titles would make for an impressive launch lineup, what would make the Switch 2’s debut even better is if it releases with a sequel to the overlooked fighting game Arms.
Related
10 Nintendo Games That Could’ve Inspired Franchises
These oft-forgotten Nintendo games could have spawned franchises under different circumstances.
Arms 2 Would Be a Great Launch Title for the Switch 2
Arms Was One of the Switch’s Earliest Hits, But It Didn’t Have Much Staying Power
Arms may not be talked about much these days, but it is notable in that it’s one of the only new AAA IPs that Nintendo has created this console generation. Developed by Nintendo EPD in collaboration with Bandai Namco Studios, Arms was released on the Nintendo Switch in June 2017, only a few months after the launch of the system. In the main mode of the game, up to four fighters with extendable arms compete in an arena and duke it out in combat until only one person is left standing. Unlike most other titles in the fighting game genre, Arms is played not from a side-view perspective, but rather from a behind-the-shoulder one.
Arms got off to a decent start and eventually sold more than 2 million units, but it never really became a hit on the same level as some of Nintendo’s other works. The decline in the game’s popularity could largely be attributed to its limited post-launch support. Although Nintendo did release some DLC and content updates for Arms throughout 2017, the company basically stopped supporting the game less than a year after its release.
Nintendo’s decision to pull the plug on Arms so quickly was pretty strange, especially considering how much promise the game had. While Arms was far from a masterpiece, it laid a great framework for a fighting game that had the potential to be expanded with new features in the long run. Unfortunately, though, it didn’t have enough content to sustain itself for the years to come. This, combined with its awkward control schemes, underwhelming stage variety, and somewhat shallow gameplay mechanics, prevented Arms from reaching the upper echelon of the fighting game genre.
An Arms Sequel Needs to Improve Upon the Foundation of the Original Game
If Nintendo ever does decide to release an Arms 2, as unlikely as it may be, it should strive to improve upon all aspects of the original game. A hypothetical Arms sequel needs to include more modes, player characters, and stages than its predecessor at launch and, more importantly, it should have a multi-year content roadmap. Nintendo can replicate what it did with the first Arms by releasing a follow-up to the game on or around the Switch 2’s release. Arms 2 would be a perfect launch title for the Nintendo Switch‘s successor, and it would give the now-dormant Arms IP a second shot at life.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console launched in 2017, capable of being played in handheld mode or docked to a television. The Switch Lite, a handheld-only model, followed in 2019, with an OLED refresh coming in 2021.