Should Nintendo just give us a Switch 2?

▶ You need to play EarthBound on Switch — I sat down with Jay Rooney of the excellent Game & Word newsletter a few days ago to shoot the breeze on all things EarthBound, touching upon the series history, its themes, and how it holds up today. My thanks to Jay for taking the time out to talk with me. Oh, and whilst we are talking EarthBound here's a great video from Nintendo Life where folks share their thoughts and memories of the game.  

Switch Weekly // YouTube

Saudi Arabia has bought a 5% stake in Nintendo — This news got plenty of attention earlier this week. Of course, Saudi investment in gaming companies isn't a wholly new thing — as the country tries to diversify beyond oil, it has been making several similar investments over the past few years — so, I imagine it's the harsh clash of image here which no doubt gave people serious pause. Saudi Arabia’s well documented history of human rights abuses rubbing up against Nintendo's family friendly image is an odd contrast admittedly. Now, this move allegedly makes the Saudi Public Investment Fund one of the largest Nintendo shareholders. Of course, any one can buy Nintendo stock (myself included), so although the optics are a little weird and no doubt uncomfortable for Nintendo, there is little they can do or say on the matter.

Chris Scullion // VGC

Fall Guys is going free-to-play and coming to Nintendo Switch on June 21st — Looking forward to giving this a go. Nintendo bean skins please!

Antonio G. Di Benedetto and Jay Peters // The Verge

Can a Switch successor be third time lucky for Nintendo? — This a great column musing on just what Nintendo should do post-Switch. The conclusion? Well, Rob argues that "Nintendo should dig deep into its history and do something it hasn't done since 1990 -- leave the wheel un-reinvented and give the market a better, upgraded, version 2.0 of a console they've already come to love". So, Switch 2 when? 😄

Rob Fahey // gamesindustry 

REVIEW Citizen Sleeper

Sam Williams // Vooks

REVIEW Research and Destroy

Athanasios Aravositas // Cubed 3

▶ REVIEW PigShip and the Giant Wolf

The Indie Gaming Guild // YouTube

REVIEW Gibbon: Beyond the Trees – short, simple and lovely to play

Keza MacDonald // The Guardian

REVIEW Lumberhill is Chaotic Tree Chopping Fun

The8BitLego // Go Nintendo

The collector’s hopes for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Donald Theriault // Nintendo World Report

Free game updates are fantastic for everyone, except new players
Kate Gray // Nintendo Life

PODCAST ▶ Reggie Fils-Aimé on diversity, technology and memeability

gamesindustry

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are digital, Europe & U.S. unless otherwise stated. 
Release data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores.
⭐️ = Ones to Watch | 📦 = Physical release | 🎮 = Demo available

⚡️ Quick Links:

• Kirby 64 is now on Switch Online, but be warned — there's a 'game-breaking' bug...
• The Switch has now outsold the 3DS in Japan. Nice.
• Could EA be the next mega studio to get acquired? Maybe.
• Spelunky 2 is the next free game trial for Switch Online subs — available next week.
• My signed copy of Reggie's new book arrived. 😊
• There's a new Kirby plush collection. I like the Awoofy.
• Sigh, those Kingdom Hearts games on Switch still ain't ready for prime time.
• I adore this fan made reimagining of Kanto. Pokemon game that looks like this please. 
• Odencat, a recently announced adventure/RPG for Switch, has an interesting concept.
• There's nearly forty percent off this massive 1TB microSD card. That's a space for a lot of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe screenshots... #AD
• This Kickstarter (funded) platformer has total WarioLand vibes. I dig it.
• What Legendary Pokemon might we see in Scarlet and Violet?
• Here's what you need to know about Pokémon Home 2.0.
• South Korean Pokemon fans can snag these cool Pokeball earbuds.
• Is indie game Mysplaced flying a little too close to the sun? Many have claimed it's "ripping off" the look of the Link's Awakening remake.

Curated by Chris Brandrick | Support Switch Weekly on Patreon

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