The Nintendo Switch has a massive amount of games already, and probably the best third party support a Nintendo console has had since the SNES. That said, it is ultimately a gaming tablet, with hardware that is consequently more constrained than the Xbox One or the PS4. It is, therefore, entirely reasonable that games that are more technically demanding will skip it, even though companies like Bethesda are going above and beyond in supporting it with some very unlikely titles.
Speaking to investors in a Q&A session, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa addressed this situation, essentially saying that yes, it is in fact unreasonable to expect that every major third party game will end up on the Switch. That said, he said that given the sheer number of games put on the system by third party developers, there should never be a shortage in terms of its overall library for players.
“We believe that giving consumers a wide selection of software is an extremely important part of operating our platforms. That is why we welcome the introduction of a variety of titles from many different software publishers,” he said. “Even so, I do not think it is realistic to expect that every major title will become available on Nintendo Switch. We are speaking with publishers about them actively putting titles on Nintendo Switch that would be an especially good fit for its unique features as a home console system you can carry around, including handheld mode and the ability to bring systems together for local multiplayer. Given the strong publisher support Nintendo Switch has, I would expect the number of titles on it will increase a lot more. That is what really keeps the Nintendo Switch business on the right track.”
I get that, and that’s fine. Honestly, I think given the Switch is what it is, the third party support for the device is marvellous. If it continues along these lines, I think I’ll be very happy with how it turns out in the end.
