There’s no shortage of Nintendo franchises that could appear on theNintendo Switch 2, but one in particular is perfectly primed for a comeback. Although the successor to the Nintendo Switch still hasn’t been officially announced, there’s good reason tobelieve that it’s coming in 2025, leaving plenty of room for speculation about what its launch year might look like. Although I’d place the most money on a new 3DMariogame as a system seller, extensive guesswork comes into play when thinking about releases that aren’t quite as predictable.
Nintendo has a habit of letting great IPs rest, at least for a while, and it’s easy to fall into wishful thinking about a newKid IcarusorF-Zero.With plenty of franchises that sell extremely well, it’s not especially surprising that some aren’t prioritized. One that I’d like to return has been nothing but a sales success so far, however, and the 13 years that it’s spent away from the limelight have been much longer than necessary.
Nintendogs Deserves To Be On The Switch 2
Nobody Did Pet Simulation Like Nintendo
Like a lot of people barely on the cusp of Generation Z, I grew up withNintendogs, the first-party Nintendo DS take on pet simulation. Although it was far from the first game in its genre, there was something aboutNintendogsthat was special. As a tech showcase for DS features like the stylus and microphone,Nintendogsoffered interactions with its polygonal creatures that felt a little closer to reality. I couldn’t say no toDachsund & Friends, which had a lot of my favorite breeds, including a golden retriever that I trained to perfection in the Agility Trials.
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The Nintendo Switch Online library could definitely benefit from the addition of some Nintendo DS games, and some would be especially compelling.
The phenomenon ofNintendogsis admittedly difficult to replicate, because the appeal of the endeavor was tied so directly to how forward-thinking the DS felt at the time.It did make a second showing on the 3DS withNintendogs + Cats, however, and it was still a successthe second time around. The 4.69 million units sold, noted on theVideo Game Sales Wiki, don’t compare to the nearly 24 million copies of the DS versions, but that still comfortably lands it above games likeThe Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worldsin the top 15 3DS sellers.
I’ll admit that I don’t have a specific selling point ready for a thirdNintendogs— adding yet another type of pet would be a nice point of appeal, but it would make for a particularly inelegant title. I don’t know that it particularly needs one, however. Nearly two decades after the originalNintendogs, the idea of a pet simulation game that feels better than the rest still has a lot of appeal to me, and the variety of imitators that the series spawned don’t quite scratch the itch.
The Switch 2 Could Be The Perfect Nintendogs Platform
Joy-Cons Are The Ideal Instrument
When it comes to a futureNintendogsgame, the big question comes down to how well it could translate to a system that isn’t in DS family, but I think the Switch’s successor could still be a great home. In my mind, the key lies in the Joy-Cons, which areexpected to return with a Nintendo Switch 2. With gyro motion tracking and HD rumble,Joy-Cons provide a method of interacting with virtual pets that could recapture a lot of what the DS managedand add another sensory layer into the mix.
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The Switch 2 should bring some exciting games to the table, and leaks and rumors already offer some indication of what might be coming.
The same could be said about the original Nintendo Switch, obviously, but that ship has essentially sailed, and the Switch 2 could have some unique advantages. Most significantly,there’s room for a leap in fidelity that could help a newNintendogsblow away the past entries in the series. It’s always gone for something closer to realism than most Nintendo games, and the hardware improvements could open the door to realistic fur simulation that the Switch would have struggled with.
You could make an argument that the jump to mobile phones would make more sense forNintendogs, but I’d personally much rather see it on the Switch 2. While a more comfortably pocketable system would retain the appeal of a virtual pet that’s accessible at all times, the concept also instills the dread of creeping monetization and an infinite supply of menus in me, and I was never fully satisfied by any of Nintendo’s past mobile ventures. At any rate, Nintendo also seems to have lost most of its interest in the phone market, so it’s an unlikely path.
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Nintendo’s abandonment of mobile venturesties into the company’s big shift over the past generation, with the success of the Switch leaving the faltering Wii U era squarely in the past.The Switch 2 should be able to capitalize on that momentum, and that gives it the necessary leverage to make concepts like aNintendogscomeback truly viable. The best example might lie in the fortunately timed release ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, which showed how a generally popular Nintendo franchise could turn into a household name overnight.
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Although replicating that perfect luck is likely impossible, there’s a lot that a newNintendogscould do to reach for a similar spike in success. Doubling down on the multiplayer possibilities would be one huge step, as previousNintendogsgames had fairly anemic social elements. If virtual pet owners could compete directly in competitions or socialize with their dogs in a Switch 2Nintendogsrelease,it could easily become a comfortably casual way to connect with friends online.
The Nintendo Switch Online system is expected to stick around on the Switch 2, with a monthly subscription fee for online multiplayer access and other perks.
Nintendo’s likely been planning the Switch 2’s library for years now, and if aNintendogsgame isn’t already in the works, it could be a long time before one has a chance of showing up. I think it would be the perfect fit, though, and I’d definitely be tempted to get back into the virtual pet game ifNintendogswas back on the market. The possibilities forNintendo Switch 2games are essentially endless, butNintendogsis one of the options that I’d like to see the most.
