New 'Super Mario' Likely To Be Nintendo Switch's Launch Title Instead of 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'

The Nintendo Switch will be hitting stores in March 2017 and there’s been a lot of rumors circulating around its launch titles. The latest rumor is that “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” won’t be the upcoming console’s launch title and that it will actually be a new “Super Mario” game.

“Breath of the Wild” is currently scheduled to launch in 2017, but Nintendo hasn’t given the game a specific release date yet. Earlier this week, it was reported that there’s a problem with the development of “Breath of the Wild,” particularly its localization. Localization refers to transforming a game’s software and hardware in order to work in different regions.

Once localization for “Breath of the Wild” is finished by the end of December, it will still need four to six months of rigorous testing, and this means that it will miss its planned March launch alongside the Switch console. The game might possibly come out in the summer of 2017, according to noted Nintendo tipster Emily Rodgers.

With the new “Zelda” game missing the Nintendo Switch launch, it looks like the new “Super Mario” game will serve as the new console’s main launch title, according to Eurogamer. When the Nintendo Switch was first revealed last month, its trailer briefly showed the new “Super Mario” game in action.

The problem with this new rumor is that Nintendo game producer Shigeru Miyamoto previously stated that the new 3D “Super Mario” game won’t be ready by March 2017. However, it’s possible that Nintendo has sped up the game’s development in order to fill the gap left by “Breath of the Wild.”

If the new “Super Mario” is indeed the Nintendo Switch’s launch title, it could help in console sales. “Super Mario” is Nintendo’s most popular IP, and it just makes sense that it would be the launch title for the Switch. “Super Mario” was also the launch title for the NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and the Wii U, as pointed out by GameRant.

Nintendo will be holding a special event on Jan. 12 (Jan.13 in Japan) to announce launch details for the Switch. It was leaked recently that the upcoming console will cost $329.99 Canadian dollars, or around $245 U.S. dollars.