Wikipedia

Nintendo Switch Sports

Nintendo Switch Sports[b]is a 2022sportssimulationvideo gameproduced byNintendofor theNintendo Switch.It is the sequel toWii Sports Club(2014) as part of theWii Sportssubseries, itself of theWiiseries 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,TennisandBasketball.Released on April 29, 2022,Nintendo Switch Sportsreceived generally mixed reviews from critics[3]and has sold over 13.11 million copies,[c]making it one of thebest-selling Nintendo Switch games.[4]

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

Gameplay

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

Nintendo Switch Sportsis set in a fictional multisport facility namedSpocco Square,[5]which contains three sports from previous installments (TennisandBowlingfromWii SportsandSwordplayfromWii Sports Resort;the latter is referred to asChambarawithin the game) and three new sports (soccer,volleyball,andbadminton).[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 ofBasketball(previously featured inWii Sports Resort), which was released as a free update on July 10.

Players utilize the Nintendo Switch'sJoy-Conin a similar manner to the otherWii Sportsgames, positioning them in a manner resembling the actual sport. Thegyroscopefunctionality embedded within the Joy-Con is used to simulatemotionin-game,[9]compared to the usage of theWii Remote(and occasionally theNunchuk)[10]to simulate motion in the other games in the series.[11][12]

AlongsideMiis,newavatarscalled "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 inRingFitAdventureis 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 hasmultiplayeravailable 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 aNintendo Directon February 9, 2022, with a release date of April 29, 2022.[3]Afree-to-playonlineplaytestof the game to test functionality and stability was available to register on February 15, 2022, for those with aNintendo Switch Onlinesubscription. The playtest was available to play during specific times on February 18 to 20, 2022.[1][7][17]

Takayuki Shimamura, who directed all theWii Sportsseries,returned to this title as producer, and Yoshikazu Yamashita, who directedWii SportsandWii 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 ofNintendo EPD,and general producer of the Nintendo Switch, called Yamashita and requested the development of a Nintendo Switch title in theWii Sportsseries. According to Yamashita, 90% of the members of the development team were new members who weren't part of the pastWiiseries titles.[18]

Development of post-release content has faced setbacks. In September 2022, Nintendo announced that thegolfgame 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 toreview aggregatorMetacritic,the game received "mixed or average" reviews from critics upon release.[22]

Nintendo World Reportpraised 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 Guardiandisliked volleyball, stating, "the pace is slow and the movements too obvious".[34]VG247felt that the motions used in each game captured the feeling of the sports, even if they were only approximations.[35]

Game Informerenjoyed the gear unlock system in the game, "this simple progression system kept me engaged and eager to dive back into the action".[24]Conversely,Destructoidcriticized 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]IGNliked 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 Vergedisliked 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 Postfelt 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 Lifewrote 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]GameSpotcriticized 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]Polygonfelt it captured the joy of the originalWii Sportsbut noted that the motion controls felt like a step down fromResort.[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, behindLego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.[43]

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

It was nominated for theBritish Academy Games Award for Familyat the19th British Academy Games Awards[44]and Best Family Game atThe Game Awards 2022.

Notes

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  1. ^Additional development support for v1.5.0 byEighting
  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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  2. ^"'Nintendo Switch Sports' brings bowling, tennis and more on April 29th ".Engadget.February 9, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 10,2022.
  3. ^ab"Nintendo Switch™ Sports for Nintendo Switch™ – Official Site".nintendoswitchsports.nintendo.Archived fromthe originalon July 23, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 10,2022.
  4. ^ab"Financial Results Explanatory Material"(PDF).Nintendo. May 8, 2024.Archived(PDF)from the original on May 7, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  5. ^Rivera, Joshua (March 31, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports overview welcomes you to 'Spocco Square'".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on April 28, 2022.RetrievedApril 28,2022.
  6. ^Peters, Jay (February 9, 2022)."Nintendo is making a new Wii Sports for the Switch".The Verge.Archived fromthe originalon March 5, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 10,2022.
  7. ^abLyles, Taylor (February 9, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports is the Long-Awaited Sequel to One of the Wii's Most Popular Games".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 10,2022.
  8. ^"Nintendo Switch Sports - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch".YouTube.February 9, 2022. Archived fromthe originalon August 28, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 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 fromthe originalon September 16, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 21,2022.
  10. ^Turner, Daniel (July 1, 2007)."Hack: The Nintendo Wii".MIT Technology Review.Archivedfrom the original on February 22, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 21,2022.
  11. ^Wald, Heather (February 18, 2022)."Switch Sports could be one of Nintendo's most important releases in 2022".GamesRadar+.Archivedfrom the original on July 24, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 21,2022.
  12. ^Shea, Brian (February 9, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports Carries On The Legacy Of Wii Sports In April".Game Informer.Archived fromthe originalon February 27, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 21,2022.
  13. ^"Official Nintendo Twitter account".Twitter.February 9, 2022. Archived fromthe originalon July 18, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 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).Archivedfrom the original on September 16, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 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.Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 21,2022.
  18. ^"Ask the Developer Vol. 5, Nintendo Switch Sports–Part 1 - Nintendo".Archived fromthe originalon June 11, 2022.
  19. ^Radulovic, Petrana (September 13, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports golf update delayed to winter".Polygon.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2022.RetrievedOctober 16,2022.
  20. ^Norman, Jim (October 14, 2022)."Nintendo Pulls Latest Switch Sports Update Following Game Crashes".Nintendo Life.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2022.RetrievedOctober 16,2022.
  21. ^Wales, Matt (October 14, 2022)."Switch Sports servers now offline while Nintendo investigates crashing issue".Eurogamer.net.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2022.RetrievedOctober 16,2022.
  22. ^ab"Nintendo Switch Sports for Switch Reviews".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2024.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
  23. ^Carter, Chris (May 2, 2022)."Review: Nintendo Switch Sports".Destructoid.RetrievedSeptember 2,2024.
  24. ^abGuisao, Steven (May 4, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports Review: Par For The Course".Game Informer.Archived fromthe originalon June 16, 2022.RetrievedMay 7,2022.
  25. ^abIndovina, Kurt (April 27, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports - Better Together".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on May 7, 2022.RetrievedMay 7,2022.
  26. ^Loveridge, Sam (April 29, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports Review:" Really is a social game through and through "".GamesRadar+.Archivedfrom the original on April 30, 2022.RetrievedMay 7,2022.
  27. ^abStevens, Colin."Nintendo Switch Sports".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on May 4, 2022.RetrievedMay 4,2022.
  28. ^abOlney, Alex (April 29, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports Review (Switch): Wii haven't come far".Nintendo Life.Archivedfrom the original on May 24, 2022.RetrievedMay 4,2022.
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  33. ^Sam Loveridge (April 29, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports review:" Really is a social game through and through "".gamesradar.Archived fromthe originalon June 20, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
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  35. ^"Nintendo Switch Sports review: a simple, formulaic nostalgia-fest – and one of the most fun games of the year".VG247.April 29, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on June 12, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
  36. ^"Review: Nintendo Switch Sports".Destructoid.Archivedfrom the original on June 15, 2022.RetrievedMay 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.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
  38. ^"Review | 'Nintendo Switch Sports' is a grab bag of great games and duds".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Archivedfrom the original on September 16, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
  39. ^Plante, Chris (April 27, 2022)."Nintendo Switch Sports is the Wii Sports sequel we dreamt of".Polygon.Archived fromthe originalon September 14, 2022.RetrievedMay 20,2022.
  40. ^"Famitsu Sales: 4/25/22 - 5/8/22 [Update 2]".Gematsu.May 12, 2022.Archivedfrom the original on June 5, 2022.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  41. ^"Nintendo Switch Sports smashes to No.1 | UK Boxed Charts".GamesIndustry.biz.May 2022.Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2022.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
  42. ^Bahamut."MediaCreate 4 nguyệt 25 ngày ～5 nguyệt 1 ngày một vòng tiêu thụ bảng xếp hạng 《Switch vận động 》 nhiệt triều thổi quét tam mà".Bahamut điện chơi tin tức trạm.Archivedfrom the original on September 16, 2022.RetrievedMay 17,2022.
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  44. ^"2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations".BAFTA.March 2, 2023.Archivedfrom the original on March 2, 2023.RetrievedMarch 2,2023.
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