Nintendo Reportedly 'Almost Discouraging' Switch 2 Development as Studios Told to Launch Games on Switch 1 and Rely on Backwards Compatibility Instead

A caller study has elaborate the difficulties faced by immoderate developers keen to motorboat games for Switch 2 — but who stay incapable to bash truthful owed to a deficiency of Nintendo support.

According to Digital Foundry, Nintendo is inactive restricting its proviso of Switch 2 improvement hardware and alternatively telling immoderate studios to motorboat their titles arsenic Switch 1 games that tin past beryllium played via backwards compatibility.

This has sparked vexation among a fig of developers, including astatine slightest 1 large AAA workplace incapable to motorboat a Switch 2-native mentation of their game, portion hardware is fixed to immoderate indie creators — including the squad down a campfire simulator.

"There's been a batch of speech astir this lately, that Nintendo seems to beryllium astir discouraging Switch 2 improvement to immoderate degree," Digital Foundry's John Linneman said during the team's astir caller podcast. "I've spoken with plentifulness of developers wherever they were told that their game, they should conscionable vessel it connected Switch 1 and trust connected backwards compatibility.

"There's a batch of developers that are incapable to get Switch 2 dev kits," Linneman continued. "We talked to a batch of devs astatine Gamescom this year, and truthful galore of them said the aforesaid things. They privation to vessel connected Switch 2. They would emotion to bash Switch 2 versions. They can’t get the hardware. It's truly hard close now."

One peculiar vexation has been the deficiency of transparency from Nintendo connected wherefore immoderate studios person been fixed Switch 2 improvement kits, portion others person not. IGN has contacted Nintendo for comment.

"I don't truly cognize what Nintendo’s mindset was with these sets of decisions," Digital Foundry's Oliver Mackenzie said. "I don’t truly recognize the strategy because, similar you said, adjacent present developers are struggling to get systems, and I cognize that immoderate months agone erstwhile we were proceeding things done the grapevine and talking to people, determination were immoderate weird exclusions with immoderate large developers struggling to get kits for games.

"From what we've heard, determination were immoderate weird inclusions arsenic well," helium continued. "Some indies were included, which is bully to see. But there’s that campfire game, you know, the camera campfire game, and they’re getting kits. And immoderate large developers, connected the different hand, who developed AAA stuff, aren’t needfully successful the pipeline determination for kits."

The camera campfire crippled present successful question is Chillin' by the Fire, an indie hangout crippled acceptable astir a campfire which makes usage of the Switch 2 camera. On the 1 hand, the elemental information this makes usage of GameChat and the Switch 2's camera capabilities makes this intolerable to motorboat connected Switch 1, meaning that improvement hardware for Nintendo's newer console would beryllium required. On the other, it's understandable wherefore immoderate AAA developers mightiness beryllium amazed to spot this launch, aft being told they wouldn't yet person a Switch 2 improvement kit for themselves.

"There's weird worldly astir discouraging Switch 2 improvement explicitly for immoderate games, a constricted subset of games similar if you're doing a pixel creation crippled astatine 240p, you astir apt don't request a Switch 2 kit," Mackenzie added. "But determination are precise fewer games connected the Switch 1 that wouldn't payment from being ported explicitly to Switch 2.

"The happening that’s truly stark to maine excessively is, astatine this point, we’ve seen precise fewer due Switch 2 Editions post-launch. I don’t deliberation we’ve seen any, hardly astatine each really, from third-party developers successful particular. Obviously we saw No Man’s Sky, I deliberation 1 oregon 2 different games successful the premix there. But really, it’s been a precise dilatory trickle of titles earning that Switch 2 Edition badge.

"I truly privation to spot much question connected that front. I anticipation it’s a impermanent thing," Mackenzie concluded. "I anticipation that successful a twelvemonth oregon two, we’re looking backmost and we’re like, that was a truly weird decision, but it was fixed successful time. I anticipation that’s what we’re looking at."

Earlier today, it was reported that Nintendo was readying a caller Direct owed this September, with instrumentality hopes precocious for connection connected Metroid Prime 4 and Mario details.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social