Nintendo NX Release Date: New Controller Leak, Bethesda Games Could Come To Console
The Nintendo NX’s release date is expected to be announced alongside the console later this year. However, that console could now take a very different form to the one previously anticipated, if a new leak is to be believed. Nintendo’s upcoming console codenamed the NX was widely believed to be Nintendo’s first hybrid, with the device centred around its controller, which could be connected to an external peripheral in order to play Nintendo’s most iconic games on the big screen.
However, according to the International Business Times, those rumours of a hybrid console from Nintendo could turn out to be false. That’s because of a couple of job listings from Nintendo of America, the arm of the Japanese video games giant responsible for selling and marketing Nintendo’s products in North America.
From the job listings, Nintendo appears to be looking for two separate retail marketing leads, including one for portables and one for consoles. Whilst it could be assumed that Nintendo is looking to hire leads for both their current Wii U and 3DS divisions, it’s a decision that wouldn’t make all that much sense, especially considering Nintendo would likely want to merge their handheld and console divisions upon the release of their upcoming NX. Both positions are set to be active as of this month.
Report Points to Nintendo NX Manufacturing Ramping Up in Q4 2016 https://t.co/flP2eX7CQT #NintendoNX #NVIDIA pic.twitter.com/TzqPuQKqFq
— Nintendo Life (@nintendolife) August 6, 2016
In fact, what makes the hires even more interesting is the fact that in 2013, Nintendo of America restructured the company by merging their portable and console divisions. It’s difficult to see why Nintendo would now to choose to hire separate leads again for these departments if they don’t have different devices to head-up. In his first reference to the NX, late CEO of Nintendo Satoru Iwata said the console would be akin to “brothers in a family of systems.” It’s further supporting claims that the NX will actually be two separate consoles.
Nintendo is expected to formally announce their upcoming console later this year. Until then, leaked details around the NX are purely speculative. However, video game console manufacturers are rarely able to keep new hardware under wraps for too long, meaning we should have a good idea of what form the NX will take before it’s announced.
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Perhaps as important as the NX’s hardware are the console’s games, and according to Digital Spy, Nintendo’s upcoming console has caught the attention of one of the biggest publishers in the industry, Bethesda. Best known for the likes of Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Bethesda’s games are a big deal and they could be heading to Nintendo’s next console. The company is said to be looking at bringing their catalogue of franchises to the Nintendo NX. However, it’s currently impossible to say for certain.
Bethesda on making Nintendo NX games: "It's definitely something we will look at." https://t.co/8vC73BfRzD pic.twitter.com/X8OJw2dJS6
— GameSpot (@GameSpot) August 9, 2016
Bethesda Marketing Head Pete Hines insists that they talk with Nintendo all the time, saying “It’s definitely something we will look at and our philosophy is that we will put on any format that supports the games as we envisage and make them. If the NX fits that from a technical standpoint and fits the game that a developer in our stable is making, I don’t see why we would not put it out on NX. But it’s too early to say, we’ll definitely be putting out games or not. Like with mobile, we want to have the right fit for the right formats.”
If Bethesda does release some of their biggest titles for the NX, they’ll join some of Nintendo’s own big franchises, including The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon.
[Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images]
