Why Doesn’t Nintendo Release Games on PC?

Nintendo Switch is the latest gaming console introduced in the market years ago. Being a hybrid console, Nintendo Switch has shown spontaneous growth and attracted a large fanbase. Despite this, the PC remains one of the largest gaming platforms worldwide. Therefore, most game developers launch their games on PC regardless of whether the games have exclusivity deals or not. 

However, that isn’t the case for Nintendo Switch in the past years. The issue has sparked heated debates in the gaming industry on why aren’t Nintendo games on PC? There’s no need to panic if you belong to the group of gamers looking for answers to this question. Discover answers to this critical question and much more.

Are There Any Nintendo Games on PC?

One of the key things people associate the Nintendo brand with is keeping their games to themselves. Therefore, they don’t share their IP to allow players to play Nintendo Switch games on other platforms. This prompts you to wonder if there are any Nintendo games on PC. The good news is you’re in the right place to learn.

Nintendo has several consoles under its belt. These include Wii, Switch, and DS series, among others. Over the years, the platform’s popularity has continued to grow as the developer adds new titles to the franchise. Zelda and Mario games are some of the biggest titles on Nintendo, and they have racked up a lot of fanbases. These titles offer exclusive features that allow the play to dive deeper into the Nintendo gaming experience.

Despite Nintendo guarding its IP closely, the brand has ventured into the mobile gaming industry with amazing titles. These titles include Mario Kart Tour and Pokémon Go. The venture into the mobile gaming industry instead of PC platforms has raised several concerns.

Can You Play Any Nintendo Games on PC?

In a nutshell, the answer to this key question is yes. Back in the day, Nintendo used to release gaming titles on PC. One of the games released on PC is Mario’s Time Machine. Also, Nintendo paired with Hudson Soft to produce titles like Ice Climbers and Excite Bike.

To add to the list were titles like Mario Bros. Special, which rocked the gaming market worldwide. However, the most successful Nintendo release on PC was Donkey Kong 3: The Great Counterattack. The title was, however, a Japanese PC exclusive.

Most of these games received great approval from the PC gaming world. Despite this, Nintendo moved away from PC gaming and started releasing exclusive Nintendo titles. Therefore, most Nintendo games are tailored with features to sell the platform.

Why Doesn’t Nintendo Release Games on PC?

Most PC gamers keep wondering why there aren’t Nintendo games on PC. Bringing the games on PC would work to the advantage of both Nintendo and PC. Considering sales, Nintendo game sales would surely shoot up due to the large number of PC gamers worldwide.

However, there’s a probability of most players turning completely to PC if the same games on Nintendo were on PC. This is due to the PC gaming convenience in terms of hardware updates. All you have to do is upgrade your CPU tower. However, you must purchase the latest-gen Nintendo console to access the latest titles.

Therefore, the main reason for Nintendo not releasing games on PC is to promote Nintendo consoles. Despite the developer not stating the reason, the highest speculation points to Nintendo protecting its console sales. To back, their reason for not releasing games on PC is the continued success they are making on their own. Therefore, Nintendo has secured a foothold in the gaming industry with a dependency on launching games on PC.

You should note that these are speculations, and Nintendo has no official communication about why they are avoiding PCs.

Will Nintendo Games Ever Come to PC?

One of the popular questions from the gaming community, especially PC gamers, is whether Nintendo games will be available on PC.

Nintendo games launching on PC would be a great win for the PC gaming community. However, Nintendo games are exclusive to Nintendo consoles. The developer hasn’t provided any communication about changing the policy. However, apart from Nintendo consoles, you can enjoy most Nintendo games on mobile. This offers a compromise, although not so efficient for PC gamers.

Are there hopes of Nintendo changing its policies?

The question remains a speculation. There’s hope at the end of the day. The gaming industry has experienced major and almost impossible scenarios in the past. However, in case of any changes, Nintendo will offer official communication.

Bottom Line

As noted, Nintendo took the gaming industry by storm by providing its hybrid gaming consoles. The platform has sold large console units and its games despite being only Nintendo exclusive. There are no Nintendo games on PC, although, in the early years, the console released games on PC. Above is everything you need to know regarding why Nintendo doesn’t release games on PC.