With 2022 well into its second quarter and many of the biggest franchises in gaming set to release new entries this year, Nintendo has a full lineup of exclusive titles to appeal to fans of many of its most well-known franchises. Between the recent release of major games likeKirby and the Forgotten LandandPokemon Legends: Arceusand the recent announcement ofPokemon Scarlet and Violetcoming later in the year, Nintendo’s 2022 is stacked with plenty of exclusives throughout the year.
Many of Nintendo’s biggest announcements have come from recent Nintendo Direct broadcasts withXenoblade ChroniclesandSplatoonboth confirmed to be receiving the third major entry in the franchises during the summer. Nintendo’s February Direct also confirmed the return of a popular franchise that had mostly fallen dormant withWii Sportsreceiving aspiritual successor in the form ofNintendo Switch Sportsset to release later this week. Now, alongsideXenoblade Chronicles 3andSplatoon 3’s official release dates, Nintendo has revealed file sizes for the upcoming sports game and the two sequels.
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Updates to Nintendo’s online store earlier this week officially revealed the final file sizes forXenoblade Chronicles 3,Splatoon 3, andNintendo Switch Sports. Releasing this Friday,Nintendo Switch Sportswill clock in at a modest file size of 1.4 GB as the smallest of the three, though its size will likely grow with future updates adding more sports.Splatoon 3will require 6.0 GB of space to download digitally, similar to its predecessorSplatoon 2’s 6.1 GB.Xenoblade Chronicles 3is by far the largest of the trio, passing both its predecessors with a 15.0 GB download.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s recently revealed release date was the most surprising update from Nintendo’s yet-to-be-released lineup as the game is now set to arrive significantly earlier than its original estimate. While the thirdXenoblade Chroniclesgame was originally slated for a September 2022 release date, a recent trailer placesXenoblade 3’s release over a month aheadof schedule, now set for July 29.Splatoon 3’s revealed release date of September 9 still falls within the Summer 2022 window, though towards the back half of the original release window.
The trio of games serves as a small part of Nintendo’s stacked lineup of upcoming titles that also sees the long-awaited return of many fan-favorite franchises.Bayonetta 3received its first gameplay trailer back in September after being revealed in 2017, while Nintendo’s announcement ofAdvance Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Campmarks the first release in the franchise since 2008’sAdvance Wars: Days of Ruin. WithSuper Mario StrikersandMario + Rabbidsalso set to return in the near future, Nintendo has plenty in store for its legions of loyal fans throughout 2022 and beyond.
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