Switch 2 is the perfect time to bring back Nintendo Selects – here’s why

With Nintendo Switch 2’s big presentation not too far from now, we’re on the verge of a brand-new console generation. And this one is confirmed to have backwards compatibility with existing Nintendo Switch games, which means there will be a huge library of games to play on the new system immediately – even if they’re not all new. We’d expect sales for standard Nintendo Switch software would start to fall off after a few years of the Switch 2 being out. This means it would be an absolutely perfect time to bring back the Nintendo Selects line, which we saw on 3DS and Wii U for several first-party titles.

If you don’t already know what Nintendo Selects are, here’s a quick description. After certain first-party Nintendo titles were released for a few years, Nintendo would sometimes reprint them as “Nintendo Selects” titles, which basically entailed a much lower price point and an edited box art. Generally, Wii, Wii U, and 3DS games that were part of the Nintendo Selects line were priced at around $20 USD each regardless of their original price. As you might expect, this was a great way for those who had missed the original games to experience them for a more accessible price. You could argue that Nintendo has no incentive to make Nintendo Selects for Switch games, given how well they sell – and you’d definitely be correct. But give it a few years when Switch 2 has taken over the conversation, and it would be a much better time to print Nintendo Selects of Switch games that probably won’t be selling anywhere near as well.

It’s important to note that not every major 3DS, Wii, and Wii U game was made into a Nintendo Selects title. The 3DS had some great picks: Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Tomodachi Life, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Majora’s Mask 3D, and Super Mario 3D Land, among others. Other games like Fire Emblem Awakening and Mario Tennis Open received the Nintendo Selects treatment in Europe, but not North America. But some big-name titles like Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 7, and Kid Icarus Uprising never became Nintendo Selects games in any region.

Likewise, plenty of great Wii games became Nintendo Selects too. Some of the ones we got include Donkey Kong Country Returns, both Super Mario Galaxy games, Wii Sports, Super Paper Mario, and more. Europe generally received many more Nintendo Selects games, like Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Wii Sports Resort. Europe’s lineup of Nintendo Selects was much stronger overall, while North America got relatively fewer.

Compared to the Wii and 3DS, the Wii U received fewer Nintendo Selects games, but that might be because there were just fewer games on Wii U in general. Super Mario 3D World, The Wind Waker HD, Nintendo Land, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze were the major releases that got price cuts. That last one was controversial – Tropical Freeze was available on Wii U for $20, but was soon ported to Switch for a full $60, which is $10 more expensive than its full retail price on Wii U. There was definitely a shift in Nintendo’s marketing and selling strategy between Wii U and Switch, and the loss of Nintendo Selects is one such shift.

But if you look at all the Nintendo Selects that came out on previous consoles, you can get a vague idea of which games Nintendo would avoid giving a price cut to. Generally, Nintendo tends to prioritize games released in the first few years of the console’s life cycle. So in Nintendo Switch’s case, games like 1-2 Switch, Splatoon 2 (since the servers are much more inactive now), Pokken Tournament DX, Kirby Star Allies, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (again), Mario Tennis Aces, and Super Mario Party could all become part of the brand. Titles that are years old or outclassed by future titles (like how many players like Super Mario Party Jamboree more than Super Mario Party) would be more likely to become Nintendo Selects. On the contrary, evergreen or critically-acclaimed titles like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Odyssey are highly unlikely to receive price cuts because they’ll continue to sell. It does seem somewhat possible, however, that some of the remakes from 2024 will eventually become Nintendo Selects – how many units is Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD going to sell in 2027?

Do you think we’ll ever see Nintendo Selects or anything equivalent ever again? Or has Nintendo’s runaway success with the Switch guaranteed we won’t see permanent price cuts for any first-party games? Feel free to let us know in the comments down below.