Nintendo Switch Sports
A motion-controlled sports collection for Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch Sports is a 2022 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the sequel to Wii Sports Club (2014) and part of the Wii Sports subseries. The game features eight sports and supports local multiplayer for up to four players as well as online play for two.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Series
- Wii
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Released
- April 29, 2022
- Genre
- Sports
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Director
- Yoshikazu Yamashita
- Producer
- Kouichi Kawamoto; Takayuki Shimamura
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Nintendo Switch Sports is set in a fictional multisport facility named Spocco Square. It includes three sports from previous installments—tennis and bowling from Wii Sports, and swordplay from Wii Sports Resort (called chambara)—along with three new sports: football, volleyball, and badminton. Golf, another sport from Wii Sports, was added via a free update on November 29, 2022. Basketball, previously featured in Wii Sports Resort, was released as a free update on July 10, 2024. Players use the Joy-Con's gyroscope to simulate motion, similar to how the Wii Remote and Nunchuk were used in earlier series entries. Alongside Miis, new avatars called Sportsmates appear with more detailed hair, faces, arms, and legs. The physical copy includes the Leg Strap accessory from Ring Fit Adventure, usable in Football; at launch it worked only for Football Shootout Mode, but a July 2022 update extended it to all Football match types. Local multiplayer supports up to four players on the same system, while online play allows up to two local players to join friends or random matchmaking.
Development
Nintendo Switch Sports was first revealed during a Nintendo Direct on February 9, 2022, and hit shelves on April 29, 2022. Players with a Nintendo Switch Online membership could sign up for a free online playtest starting February 15, 2022, with sessions held at set times from February 18 to 20. Takayuki Shimamura, who had overseen every entry in the Wii Sports series, served as producer, while Yoshikazu Yamashita, the director of both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, took on the director role. The project got underway not long after the Switch launched, when Yoshiaki Koizumi asked Yamashita to create a Wii Sports game for the new console. Yamashita noted that 90% of the development crew were newcomers with no prior experience on the series. Post-launch updates hit a few snags: the golf mode, originally planned for September 2022, was pushed back to November. That October, a patch meant to curb online cheating instead introduced a crash bug affecting both online and offline play, forcing Nintendo to pull the update and shut down servers until a fix was ready.
Reception
Nintendo Switch Sports received mixed or average reviews from critics according to Metacritic, with OpenCritic reporting that 44% of critics recommend the game. Opinions on individual sports varied. Football was considered one of the worst sports, though its Shoot-Out mode was better received; Destructoid called it arguably one of the weaker experiences in the game. Volleyball was also seen as one of the weakest, with GameSpot noting it was the least intuitive to pick up and play due to required movesets. Bowling was praised as very fun and intuitive for online play. Badminton was reviewed as very fun, with GamesRadar+ calling it just as fun as football, though the game does not explain how to make powerful shots, creating a learning curve. Chambara was described as odd but interesting due to its nuance. Tennis was reviewed as impressively polished, with powerful slams and obstacle courses adding challenge. Reviewers noted that online play does not strictly require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but felt the online mode had untapped potential. Some disliked the customization options, while others enjoyed the online mode; the fact that progression was locked behind online play was considered a bummer. The game sold nearly 190,000 copies in its first week in Japan and topped weekly sales charts in the UK, South Korea, and Taiwan. In the US, it was the second best-selling new release of April 2022 based on physical sales and became the 19th best-selling game of 2022. It sold over 16.27 million copies by March 31, 2025. It was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Family and Best Family Game at The Game Awards 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who designed Nintendo Switch Sports?
Nintendo Switch Sports was designed by Hirotake Otsubo, Yoji Kamikawa, Koji Kitagawa, Kazuhiro Yoshikawa, Atsuto Yagi and others.
Who composed the music for Nintendo Switch Sports?
The music for Nintendo Switch Sports was composed by Haruko Torii and Takuhiro Honda.
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