Nintendo seems to be aiming for a wider audience, as it expresses interest in allowing more mature-rated games to its hybrid handheld console Nintendo Switch.
A report by Wall Street Journal has indicated that the company is now encouraging the producers of games with violent or risqué reputations to make plans for the Switch. Nintendo apparently also wanted to renew its image as a gaming company, shifting from family-oriented games to a broader scope, and they plan on making use of mature game titles to achieve this.
It seems that Nintendo is already starting to make good on its promises of being more open-minded to violent western games with its inclusion of titles like "Doom" and "Wolfenstein 2." In addition to these two brutally visceral first-person shooters (FPS), Nintendo will also be porting "L.A. Noire" from Rockstar Games to the Switch. "L.A. Noire" is another dark and mature crime game set in 1950s Los Angeles.
Nintendo will also be introducing "Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon," which is not only violent but also allows player characters to supposedly massage young women in-game. According to VG Culture, while this notion in gaming is culturally shunned in the West, it is actually acceptable in the Japanese video game market.
This move surprised some developers and publishers since they initially thought that Nintendo would ignore proposed Switch ports for mature games. Developer Inti Creates' chief executive Takuya Aizu expressed that, "I thought it wouldn't be possible to release such a game for the Switch, but surprisingly, Nintendo gave me positive feedback," after their game "Gal*Gun 2" was greenlit by Nintendo for the Switch.
With the expansion of their category of games, Nintendo hopes that it can entice the primary audience of mature games, particularly gamers on the PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 platforms.
