Report: Nintendo Switch will finally bring GameCube games to Virtual Console

Nintendo Switch will feature a Virtual Console lineup, Eurogamer reports, and among the platforms available will be the GameCube. That would make it the very first time that GameCube favorites will be sold digitally.

Three individual, unnamed sources told Eurogamer that handful of GameCube titles are ready to go for the Nintendo Switch, which launches next March. These are Luigi’s Mansion, one of the GameCube’s launch titles; Super Mario Sunshine, its big Mario platformer; and Super Smash Bros. Melee, the most enduring GameCube classic. Animal Crossing is also in the testing phase.

The inclusion of Melee is particularly notable, considering it remains a favorite of esports competitors. The game turned 15 this fall, yet Melee is still the Smash Bros. game of choice for many serious — and casual — players.

Nintendo fans have begged for all four games, along with other GameCube hits, to make it to modern consoles. The Virtual Console includes games from the Nintendo Entertainment System era through the Nintendo 64; the Wii U also has Wii and Nintendo 3DS games available for download.

The Wii supported physical GameCube discs, but the Wii U dropped the backward compatibility. Nintendo confirmed to Polygon in October that the Switch won’t feature any physical backward compatibility with Wii U or Nintendo 3DS games, making a robust Virtual Console selection the best chance for nostalgic players to enjoy their older favorites.