A new report indicates that Nintendo is allegedly making it difficult for some developers to create games for the upcoming Switch 2 console, sparking frustration among developers and raising questions about the company’s strategy.
This strategy has reportedly led to frustration among developers, including at least one major AAA studio that is unable to release a Switch 2-native version of their game. Meanwhile, some indie developers, including the team behind a campfire simulator game, have received Switch 2 development kits. According to Digital Foundry, Nintendo is limiting the availability of Switch 2 development hardware, advising studios to instead release their games on the original Switch, relying on backwards compatibility for the new system.
“There’s been a lot of talk about this lately, that Nintendo seems to be almost discouraging Switch 2 development to some degree,” Digital Foundry’s John Linneman said during a recent podcast. He added, “I’ve spoken with plenty of developers where they were told that their game, they should just ship it on Switch 1 and rely on backwards compatibility.” Linneman further stated, “There’s a lot of developers that are unable to get Switch 2 dev kits. We talked to a lot of devs at Gamescom this year, and so many of them said the same things. They want to ship on Switch 2. They would love to do Switch 2 versions. They can’t get the hardware. It’s really difficult right now.”
The lack of transparency from Nintendo regarding the distribution of Switch 2 development kits is a significant point of contention. Nintendo has been contacted by IGN for comment, but has yet to respond. Digital Foundry’s Oliver Mackenzie expressed confusion over Nintendo’s strategy, stating, “I don’t really know what Nintendo’s mindset was with these sets of decisions. I don’t really understand the strategy because, like you said, even now developers are struggling to get systems, and I know that some months ago when we were hearing things through the grapevine and talking to people, there were some weird exclusions with some big developers struggling to get kits for games.”
Mackenzie also highlighted the seemingly arbitrary nature of kit distribution: “From what we’ve heard, there were some weird inclusions as well. Some indies were included, which is nice to see. But there’s that campfire game, you know, the camera campfire game, and they’re getting kits. And some big developers, on the other hand, who developed AAA stuff, aren’t necessarily in the pipeline there for kits.” The campfire game in question is “Chillin’ by the Fire,” an indie title that utilizes the Switch 2’s camera. While its unique features necessitate Switch 2 hardware, its selection for development kits has raised eyebrows among AAA developers who have been denied access. The game requires use of GameChat and the Switch 2’s camera capabilities, making it impossible to launch on Switch 1.
Mackenzie suggested potential reasons for Nintendo’s approach: “There’s weird stuff about discouraging Switch 2 development explicitly for some games, a limited subset of games like if you’re doing a pixel art game at 240p, you probably don’t need a Switch 2 kit. But there are very few games on the Switch 1 that wouldn’t benefit from being ported explicitly to Switch 2.” He also noted the scarcity of dedicated Switch 2 editions of games released so far. “The thing that’s really stark to me too is, at this point, we’ve seen very few proper Switch 2 Editions post-launch. I don’t think we’ve seen any, hardly at all really, from third-party developers in particular. Obviously we saw No Man’s Sky, I think one or two other games in the mix there. But really, it’s been a very slow trickle of titles earning that Switch 2 Edition badge.”
Mackenzie hopes this situation is temporary. “I really want to see more movement on that front. I hope it’s a temporary thing,” he said. “I hope that in a year or two, we’re looking back and we’re like, that was a really weird decision, but it was fixed in time. I hope that’s what we’re looking at.” The report comes amidst anticipation for a Nintendo Direct planned for September, where fans hope to learn more about upcoming titles like Metroid Prime 4 and new Mario games.
