Ending an almost two decades long hiatus of no Blizzard game for a Nintendo console, Diablo 3 will be launching for the Nintendo Switch later this year. By all accounts, it looks to be very well done port, too, and Blizzard sounds particularly enthused about its renewed relationship with Nintendo.
But how did Diablo on Switch end up happening at all? What about the system caught the eye of the folks over at Blizzard, and made them want to put their bestselling RPG on it? Apparently, it was a simple matter of Blizzard believing that the game would work great on the Switch, a system that everyone at the company was playing on as well.
Speaking to Gamespot, Diablo 3‘s producer Pete Stilwell said, “We were essentially sitting around and talking about projects that would be amazing and additive to what the company has, and maybe even trailblaze some new things. The Switch was a thing we were all playing, and something we were all interested in. We thought of it as something sweet to bring [Diablo 3] onto, and then we started experimenting with the Switch and then got to talking with Nintendo–where we believed that it would be feasible and fun to play on. We wanted to guarantee that it would be smooth and responsive, to ensure that it was everything that you wanted it to be for an [action RPG].”
So, basically, it’s a glorified “perfect for Switch” sentiment that led the company to decide to put the game on the platform. Which, hey, I’m not complaining- it may be a meme, but it’s a meme for a reason. A lot of games, Diablo 3 included, would be perfect for Switch.
Diablo 3 is due out on Nintendo Switch some time later this year.