As early as January 2013, the seeds of Nintendo Switch were — unbeknownst to us — being sown as Nintendo announced plans to merge their previously separate handheld and console game development studios. This idea of unified development was emblematic of the hybrid console fans eventually received, with handheld and home console now just two sides of the Switch’s coin, instead of separate entities. This move meant consumers no longer had to buy two consoles and Nintendo’s many talented development studios all now worked together to produce a steady stream of content for a single system.
Nintendo’s smart unification of their entire staff into huge projects designed to reinvent and reinvigorate their biggest series feels like it may have resulted in a lost opportunity to make smaller, riskier games.