Nintendo Switch datamine finds SNES games and references to other emulators

While it seems as though the Virtual Console is a thing of the past, NES games are available on the Nintendo Switch via its accompanying Online subscription. Nintendo could have plans to expand this roster of retro games if a datamine is to be believed, as code for a range of SNES games and other emulators has supposedly been uncovered within the source files.

After diving into the source code for NES Online, Nintendo modder KapuccinoHeck claims to have found a surprisingly long list of references to games originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). As noted by Polygon, there is currently a lot of overlap with the games housed on the self-contained SNES Classic miniature console.

Star Fox 2 (lol)
Super Punch-Out!!
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Super Mario All-Stars
Breath of Fire 2

— Kapu | gamers will perish (@KapuccinoHeck) January 13, 2019

This isn’t all too surprising, if the leak has credibility, considering the games currently circulating the NES selection on Nintendo Switch share many titles in common with the NES Classic. Of course, the leak shows some exceptions. While the SNES Classic-exclusive Star Fox 2 appears on the list, Breath of Fire 2, Pilotwings and Demon’s Crest happen to be new additions.

Adding to the findings is collaborator OatmealDome, who has seemingly discovered various emulators under different codenames. Kachikachi is otherwise identified as the same software used in the NES Classic, while Canoe is believed to be the moniker for the hinted SNES emulator. Two more “Emulator Types” were found under the names Hiyoko and Count. While first guesses would point to both Nintendo 64 and the long-hinted Gamecube emulators eventually coming to the Switch, Count is likely just the total number of emulators in programming language.

Remember that the NES app for the Switch is essentially a port of the NES Classic emulator. @KapuccinoHeck also found Japanese text for SNES games in the NES app as well. (See the linked tweet for the full list of games.) Very suspicious.https://t.co/tDWj8eKM3m

— SnowmealDome ❄️ (@OatmealDome) January 13, 2019

Of course, Nintendo has not announced any plans to bring SNES, Nintendo 64 or Gamecube games to the Switch, so it’s best to take this information with a pinch of salt for the time being. In the meantime, the company is continuously expanding its library of NES games, as Zelda II: The Adventures of Link and Blaster Master arrived just this week.

KitGuru Says: With just 29 games in total under the NES banner and an underwhelming social system, SNES games would be a welcome addition to entice subscribers. Still, I can’t help but feel that this is a poor effort from a company that’s heavily relied on its back catalogue in the past. Then again, I just miss Virtual Console. Would you like to see SNES, N64 and Gamecube games arrive one day?

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