Brain Age for Nintendo Switch | Why Not in North America?

The Brain Age series is known primarily for the first game in the series, but it actually had multiple entries in the form of Brain Age 2 for the DS, Brain Age Express which was multiple games released as DSiWare, and Brain Age Concentration Training for the 3DS. But people in Japan and Europe also have Brain Age for Nintendo Switch, which released in very late 2019 in Japan and very early 2020 in Europe.

Thankfully the lack of region lock on the Nintendo Switch allows any Switch owner to play the game, and a European release also means that the game supports English as well. 

The Series

The Brain Age series has had its fair share of criticisms since the second game. It tends to reuse exercises from game to game, and it can result in even the Switch entry having many of the same brain training exercises as the original game roughly 15 years later. As a result of its repetitive nature, the series has seen decreasing sales since the first entry.

The Mystery

Nintendo never gave any indication that Brain Age for Nintendo Switch would or would not be released in North America, meaning it's pure speculation as to why it isn't available there. The easy explanation is that sales for the series might be lower in North America than Europe or Japan, and the website VGChartz supports that idea. The series has had limited success in North America after the first game's release, though it's worth noting that VGChartz is not the most credible source.

Another reason could come down to issues regarding misleading content. Brain Age as a series aims to improve people's cognitive functions, and the Switch game is no different. However there's been a fair amount of debate among the scientific community questioning the effectiveness of brain training games and applications. A study from the Stanford Center on Longevity claims that there isn't substantial evidence that brain training games reduce of reverse cognitive decline. While another source, Cognitive Training Data, isn't pleased with the testing that was done to reach those conclusions.

It's fair to say that the science behind these games' effectiveness is inconclusive, and no one wants to be misled on what a health related product offers. And there's already a precedent in terms of what happens when a brain training program makes misleading or unfounded claims.

In January of 2016, Lumos Labs, the company behind the brain training program Lumosity, had to pay $2 million due to deceptive advertising that claimed that the program could "stave off memory loss, dementia, and even Alzheimer's disease, but did not have the science to back up its claims."

It's fair to say that Brain Age doesn't have claims that go as far as preventing or reversing the same things that got Lumos Labs claims with Lumosity. However Brain Age does have claims about how its brain training exercises can improve the brain's functionality, which is a debated topic in the scientific community.

The Conclusion

What it is that's keeping Brain Age outside North America isn't fully known. It could be the result of poor sales, or it could be the possibility of legal action. It could be a mix of both, or it could be something we don't have any way of knowing is a factor. However it is an interesting question that a lot of people didn't even know exists.