2023 for the Nintendo Switch may be an independent release.

I'm so over the term "Switch Pro," you know. Even after years of conjecture, this legendary hardware version is still just a rumor in the halls of gaming press, and the idea alone can send enthusiasts and specialists into a frenzy. However, in spite of all the rumors, it hasn't arrived yet. The next Nintendo Switch, the true successor, the sequel, is what I do believe is on the way.

Like Thanos, new hardware is unavoidable, whether it's dubbed Super Switch, New Super Switch Deluxe, Switch Advance, or something else entirely. First-party releases slowing down to a trickle is usually a hint of new hardware, much like the tide retreating before a tsunami; this is essentially the situation for 2023. Since most Nintendo studios started working on the Switch, the final months of the Wii U are still seen as a completely empty few months with very little motivation to play on the device.

Though, in my opinion, Nintendo should have published The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom years earlier due to COVID-related concerns, the game was grudgingly released at the end of the Switch's lifespan. Nintendo has scheduled the release of Pikmin 4, a remake of a Kirby game from the Nintendo Wii, and a spin-off game featuring Bayonetta for 2023, in addition to the upcoming Zelda. For this reason, I think 2023 may be the Indies' year.

I have no doubt that Nintendo is working diligently right now on a few more games for release in 2023. Nintendo loves to release a new game every month or two, whether it's Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, another Mario Sports title, or the much-rumored Kid Icarus: Uprising version. However, compared to other years, the 2023 lineup is somewhat empty, which implies that the Nintendo Switch now has some potential for indie games to emerge and establish themselves.

The Nintendo Switch accounts for the majority of sales for many indie games now in production, and a select handful of these titles manage to find their way into popular culture each year. Celeste, who was nominated for "Game of the Year" in 2018 and went on to win "Games for Impact," is proof that Geoff Keighley's famed The Game Awards should support indie games. Additionally, Supergiant Games' Hades is one of the games nominated for the 2020 "Game of the Year" award, while Dead Cells is the winner of the 2018 "Best Action Game" award.

Developers and publishers no longer hide independent games on Xbox Live Arcade for users to discuss in chat rooms and forums. Independent games are now considered mainstream titles. A growing number of independent games are being featured on magazine covers, games such as Hollow Knight and Ori & The Will of the Wisps are available for purchase, publishers are putting a lot of effort into their marketing campaigns, and developers are trying to draw in some of the same mainstream players that regular triple-A releases do. The gaming community is eagerly awaiting even a sneak peek at Hollow Knight: Silksong, the successor to Australian developer Team Cherry's indie masterwork, about which I've even written a magazine cover article.

And now I'll get to my point. In the Nintendo Switch life cycle, 2023 is the ideal year for a game like Hollow Knight: Silksong to launch. Yes, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom commands a lot of attention, but gamers also want some variation, and a year is a long time. In 2018, Team Cherry brought the original Hollow Knight to the Nintendo Switch. It was a quiet year for Nintendo, as the company mostly focused on porting and remastering games, but the year finished with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee. Thus, one of the three games was excellent.

As of right now, Nintendo says that sales of Switch hardware total around 122.55 million. This indicates that in terms of hardware sales, the Nintendo Switch is only behind the formidable PS2 and the Nintendo DS. This is a genuinely amazing accomplishment, and it will only increase with the release of the next Zelda game. As long as they can make it past the congested Nintendo eShop or hope to get a guest place in a Nintendo Indie World Showcase, this present install base is a gold mine for indie games.

A lot of independent developers are complaining about how hard it is to get any attention at all on the Nintendo eShop. Many of them have resorted to drastic discounts in an attempt to climb the most downloaded tab's rankings, only to go back to charging full price in the hopes of making a few genuine sales in the process. I think Nintendo should put more of an emphasis on supporting independent developers and promoting worthy games as it is probably aware of how disappointing their 2023 lineup is.

SFB Games' playful multiplayer puzzle game SnipperClips: Cut it Out, Together, which cleverly makes use of the Switch's Joy-Cons, is one of the Nintendo Switch's launch games. According to Game Informer, Nintendo first got in touch with the developer in 2016 while it was still known as FriendShapes. After that, the company collaborated with SFB Games to change the name and make it a flagship game for the Nintendo Switch's historic debut.

In my opinion, Nintendo should include SnipperClips with every Switch, much as Wii Sports was with the Wii, since it remains one of the finest ways to demonstrate the Nintendo Switch and the Joy-Con controllers. This is due to the very diligent effort of SFB Games, a little English development company with only six employees in 2017. It also acknowledges the Big N's development advice and support. Magic may occur when Nintendo collaborates with smaller creators.

I'm not requesting that Nintendo acquire Team Cherry and limit Hollow Knight: Silksong to a single system. What I'm asking is that the business acknowledge that a pause in its first-party products is a fantastic chance to collaborate with smaller developers—and maybe even earn some more cash for Nintendo in the process. Naturally, the Japanese publisher receives a piece of each and every sale made on the Nintendo Switch, but given its reputation for thrift, the firm is likely to give a game greater exposure if it is co-developed with Nintendo and will get a bigger portion.

Now, let's look forward to 2023. Here at SmartRead, we like independent games. Although we yearn for even a hint of the Hollow Knight: Silksong release date, there is an enormous library of other games that are just itching to take off on Switch. We can't wait to explore SteamWorld Build more when our recent preview is fully recovered.

We can't wait to find out more about In Stars and Time, a monochromatic time-loop role-playing game with a hint of LGBTQ+ inclusivity, as our interview with creator Adrienne Bazir hopefully makes clear. In addition, we recently sailed the saline waters of Team 17's freshly released game, Dredge, an evocative and Lovecraftian work that aims to define "wat" in undersea.

The creator of Stardew Valley, Concerned Ape, is presently working diligently on The Haunted Chocolatier, a spiritual (pardon the pun) sequel that promises to enhance the platform's future simulation experiences. Then there are even smaller titles like the Super Rare Originals category of indies, Numskull's Clive 'N' Wrench, and a ton more. With the Nintendo Switch, indie developers have a very rich install base, and players like independent game creators. Nintendo has to make the connections.

Independent games are responsible for some of my favorite Nintendo Switch recollections. I don't care whether I'm crying uncontrollably in Spiritfarer, diving to the bottom of Silt, or traveling across space in The Artful Escape. On any gaming system, independent games are essential because they provide a plethora of diverse experiences and often tell more intimate, smaller tales that emotionally connect with players. I'd rather play twenty quirky indie games that attempt to convey anything right now than another Mario sports game because indie games are unexpected and often different (sorry, Mazza).

If 2023 is indeed the year Nintendo is preparing for Switch 2: Electric Boogaloo, then I hope Ninty spends more time collaborating with independent developers to create, sell, and promote smaller games and less time pushing the 1/2/3 Switch or whatever other games keep the Winter months going. With more than 120 million eager Switch owners, a lot of independent developers want to break through into the mainstream and take the place of the next Celeste, Hades, or Dead Cells. Personally, I also want such innovative, thrilling, and peculiar games to be seen by everyone.