Nintendo Switch at E3 2018: Fortnite here now, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrives Dec. 7
Fortnite is now available on the Switch, there's a new Mario Party game and a lot more coming later this year.
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What does Nintendo do for a 2018 encore after last year's stupendous Switch debut year? Good question. So far, Nintendo's sophomore Switch year has been quieter, but Super Smash Bros. lurks in the wings as the next full-blast killer app for the system.
Here's everything that was announced during the Nintendo Direct livestream (which you can rewatch in its entirety, above.)
Another way to play Fortnite!
Fortnite is now available on the Switch: Surprise (or, did you expect it?), the biggest game of 2018 is now on Switch. Like, today. You can download it for free, as of 10 a.m. PT. It has cross-play with iOS, Xbox One, PC and Mac -- but not the PS4.
Every previous Smash character is in this game... ever.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate looks like the epic Smash of your dreams, coming December 7
Smash looks fantastic, but it also has a lot more going on than the already great 2014 Wii U version. It'll have every (yes, every) character ever in any Smash Bros. game, and a few new characters. It works with GameCube controllers. It's directed by Masahiro Sakurai. This looks insanely comprehensive. It looks like... over 60 characters?
There are a few new exclusives, too: Metroid enemy Ridley, plus Splatoon characters.
What's this crazy flying mech game? Daemon X Machina is a completely new Nintendo game, a flying-mech title by Kenichiro Tsukuda, the producer of the Armored Core series. It has a lot of suit-upgrading, and isn't arriving until 2019, but it's a completely new announcement.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 gets an expansion: it arrived at the end of a huge flood of 2017 Switch games, but the overlooked JRPG is getting new DLC that takes place 500 years earlier. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country arrives Sept. 14.
Pokemon is coming in November.
Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu and Pokemon: Let's Go Eeevee arrive Nov. 16: The game imports Pokemon from the mobile Pokemon Go game. And there's a new accessory, called the Poke Ball Plus, that has an analog stick and button and can be used as a game controller -- it comes in an optional $100 game bundle. (I'm not a massive Pokemon player, but this one looks like a good way to get back on board.)
Super Mario Party hits Switch Oct. 5 with two-system play: The party game's next iteration (how many have there been?) adds Joy-Con controls in minigames (they seem perfectly suited for Mario Party) and can connect two Switches for cross-system gaming.
Fire Emblem coming to Switch in spring 2019: Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the Nintendo Switch's first true Fire Emblem game after last year's Koei co-produced Fire Emblem Warriors. It follows three characters, and has similar turn-based gameplay as the rest of the series.
Overcooked 2 is coming: The first game, a cult Steam hit, just came out last year. The sequel, which should have even more absurd multiplayer cooking, has local and online modes, and is coming Aug. 7.
Killer Queen Black: Another new announcement, a "first to Switch" multiplayer game that's been an acclaimed arcade indie hit. The retro-style arcade game supported up to 10 players at once, and looks like party madness (no release date).
Hollow Knight: Looks like an indie platformer in the spirit of games like Celeste and Shovel Knight, and it's here today.
Octopath Traveler: The exclusive Switch RPG by Square Enix hits July 13, with a demo coming June 14. JRPG lovers, rejoice.
Other games shown, many of which were already known:
- Starlink: Battle for Atlas, Ubisoft's toy-based game with Starfox tie-ins (Oct. 16)
- Arena of Valor, by Tencent Games (fall 2018)
- Minecraft is getting its physical release (June 21)
- Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle's Donkey Kong Adventure add-on DLC (June 26)
- Pixark, by Snail Games USA (fall 2018)
- Just Dance 2019, by Ubisoft (Oct. 23)
- Dragon Ball FighterZ, by Bandai Namco (2018)
- Splatoon 2 Octa Expansion (summer 2018)
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, by Nintendo (July 13)
- Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, by Activision (June 29)
- Ninjala, by GungHo Online Entertainment (spring 2019)
- Carcassone, by Asmodee Digital (holiday 2018)
- FIFA 19, by EA (Sept. 28)
- Ark: Survival Evolved, by Studio Wildcard (fall 2018)
- Wasteland 2: Director's Cut, by InXile Entertainment (fall 2018)
- Paladins: Champions of the Realm, by Hi-Rez Studios (out now)
- Fallout Shelter, by Bethesda (out now)
- Dark Souls Remastered, by Bandai Namco (summer 2018)
- SNK Heroines, by NIS America (Sept. 7)
- Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, by Capcom (Aug. 28)
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, by Bethesda (June 29)
- The World Ends With You: Final Remix, by Nintendo (fall 2018)
- Mega Man 11, by Capcom (Oct. 2)
What didn't we get? Metroid Prime 4, N64 Classic. Metroid Prime 4, announced last year, is still a mystery. And while rumors of an N64 Classic miniconsole are spreading, there's still no confirmed news yet.
Earlier E3 news
- Sony E3 2018: The Last of Us Part 2, Death Stranding, Kingdom Hearts 3 and more
- At E3 2018, PC gamers feel like they need their own show
- Ubisoft E3 2018: Star Fox in Starlink, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and more
- Tomb Raider, Just Cause and Square Enix's E3 announcements
- Bethesda at E3 2018: Fallout 76, The Elder Scrolls VI, Starfield and more
- Microsoft Xbox at E3 2018: New console coming, Halo Infinite, Gears 5, Fallout 76 and more
- EA at E3 2018: Battlefield 5 goes up against Fortnite, Anthem launch in 2019, and more
The CNET team is at E3 in Los Angeles, and will be following up with on-site reporting throughout the week.
E3 2018 coverage at CNET: All of our E3 2018 coverage in one place.
E3 2018 coverage at GameSpot: Wall-to-wall coverage of the show from our sister site, GameSpot.
E3 2018 coverage at Giant Bomb: More commentary and news from E3, from our colleagues at Giant Bomb.