Wii Sports is coming back, sort of: Here’s what to expect

(NEXSTAR) – Wii Sports fans, get ready to get active all over again. Nintendo is bringing back the iconic sports game that took over households more than a decade ago.

Nintendo announced a new iteration of the video game that will be available on the Nintendo Switch in April. “Nintendo Switch Sports” will offer bowling, tennis, and chambara – otherwise known as sword-fighting, which appeared in Wii Sports Resort – as well as three new sports: soccer, volleyball, and badminton.

Similar to the Wii, players will use their Switch’s joy-con controllers to play each sport. The Switch also allows for a controller to be strapped to a user’s leg for some activities, a feature that wasn’t available with the Wii.

Nintendo is bringing Wii Sports back to life, sort of. Nintendo Switch Sports, offering seven activities, including volleyball, will be available in April 2022. (Nintendo via Business Wire)

According to Nintendo, players will be able to play the new game with friends and family on the same Switch, or online play with friends or random users.

Nintendo Switch Sports will be available on April 29, with a free update scheduled for this summer to expand play access to soccer. A second free update later this year will bring another Wii Sports favorite to the Switch – golf.

Boxing and baseball, which appeared in the original Wii Sports, are not part of Nintendo’s new version. With the exception of swordplay, bowling, and golf, none of the sports from Wii Sports Resort are being revived, either.

It’s not yet clear if Matt, the Nintendo character known for crushing many Wii Sports players in baseball and other activities, or if the background characters will have the same reaction to a bowling ball being thrown backward.

Nintendo announced a slew of new games for its Switch on Wednesday, including “MLB The Show 22,” a new addition to the Kirby and Star Wars sagas, the return of “Klonoa,” and various others.