Nintendo’s Best Selling Game of All Time Still Needs a Proper Sequel

Nintendo is no stranger to popular games. Between Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong, the studio has had numerous hits. This isn’t even taking into account spin-off games in these series or other IPs. But despite the name recognition of these games, Nintendo’s best-selling game doesn’t belong to these iconic characters. Instead, it belongs to a deceptively simple game that no one saw coming. When it launched on the Wii, it would ultimately become one of Nintendo’s biggest games and make even non-gamers fall in love with it.

Yet, for all this, Nintendo has largely neglected this beloved title. Wii Sports went on to become a cultural phenomenon, selling over 80 million copies. Sadly, its sequels could not live up to this acclaim. This isn’t to say Wii Sports Resort and Nintendo Switch Sports are bad games, but they cannot compare to the impact of the Wii’s golden game.

The Simple Genius That Made Wii Sports a Global Phenomenon

One of the reasons Wii Sports was so successful is its simplicity. It made gaming feel universal and encouraged families to play together, something few games managed to do. By bundling it with the Wii, Nintendo ensured Wii Sports would land in as many living rooms as possible, reaching young gamers and grandparents alike.

Further appeal came from the Wii’s intuitive motion controls that made each sport in the game easy to understand and pick up. Anyone could hold a Wii remote and learn how to play in seconds. This not only makes the game easy to learn but also easy to get started. There was no need to explain complicated control schemes and mechanics—a simple demonstration teaches how to play instantly.

It wasn’t photorealism or sprawling worlds that made Wii Sports a success. It set the standard for less is more, something that sequels that built off of it failed to understand. Nintendo broke down the barrier to entry by taking a simple concept and executing it perfectly.

Why Nintendo Switch Sports Couldn’t Capture the Magic

Fast forward to 2022, when Nintendo attempted to bring this formula back with Nintendo Switch Sports. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Motion controls were back, iconic sports returned alongside new ones, and the Nintendo Switch already had massive success. Unfortunately, while Nintendo nailed the concept, the execution was wrong.

The game launched with missing content, including some of the fan-favorite games like Boxing. Not only this, but Golf and Basketball weren’t even available at launch, forcing players to wait for these sports on top of paying for a seemingly unfinished game. Even the included games felt like a step back from what Wii Sports accomplished. Many believed it was a cash grab, taking advantage of nostalgia, and critics had a mixed reception to Nintendo Switch Sports. Even worse was that the aesthetic failed to capture fans’ hearts. The Miis were gone and replaced with generic-looking avatars that lacked charm.

The one saving grace was that Nintendo nailed the motion controls, but outside of this, Nintendo Switch Sports didn’t feel like an evolution of its beloved predecessor. It was a watered-down experience that left me and the fans disappointed with almost every aspect of it. Not even the newly added online multiplayer could salvage the game. Rather than bringing a new era for this series, it merely showed how special Wii Sports was.

The Sequel Fans Deserve, Not the One We Got

Wii Sports is one of the most deserving games that needs a proper sequel and the formula is already there. Nintendo just needs to go back to its roots: accessible fun that brought families and friends together. Reinvention isn’t necessary in this case, but modern hardware can provide improvements in important areas without drastically altering what players loved about the original title.

Fans want the iconic games that launched with Wii Sports. While new sports are always welcome, these should not detract from the core experience. The Nintendo Switch 2 could keep the aesthetic for all sports while using the hardware for more robust options within them, like multiplayer or modifiers. Training mode, fun challenges, and progressive skill levels could make the experience all the more rewarding, on top of being fun.

But most importantly, it needs to feel like a full package. If Nintendo doesn’t bundle it with the console or make it free, it needs to be worth the asking price. The ease of access made Wii Sports so endearing, and charging for Nintendo Switch Sports soured this legacy, especially considering the lack of content. And finally, bring back the Miis, or at least use avatars that match Nintendo’s beloved charm. They made the game feel personal and were the soul of Wii Sports.

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