Basketball dudes.png

What are you most excited about with the Nintendo Switch?

David D'Angelo (Yacht Club Games): New Nintendo games! That's more exciting than anything. We trust Nintendo to keep delivering amazing gameplay content, and we're very confident they have some great stuff in the pipe. Seeing a 3D Mario always sends my anticipation meter off the charts!

Brjann Sigurgeirsson (Image & Form): The fact that it's truly inventive: the marriage of home console and handheld is what I and a lot of other people were hoping for.

The idea of playing Skyrim or Zelda while on a flight is pretty awesome. I'm also excited about playing NBA 2K17 right next to a real basketball court...

Because we hadn't been able to mention that we were developing for Nintendo Switch, I had quite a few opportunities to let people around me speculate. In other words, when journalists have asked me about it (or "NX"), I've usually answered "It'll be a great day when we finally find out what it is," and then I've asked THEM what they think it'll be. Interestingly, the vast majority have envisioned, or hoped for, a console/handheld hybrid. If that's what people want, great!

Ivo Wubbels (Engine Software): Now you are able to play real console quality games on the road, I think that's a good thing. And from a developer's perspective: the support from Nintendo will be great on this platform!

Graham Smith (Drinkbox Studios): I'm excited about having that much power in a portable console. The idea of playing Skyrim or Zelda while on a flight is pretty awesome.

I'm also excited about playing NBA 2K17 right next to a real basketball court...

Dant Rambo (Choice Provisions): As a gamer, I'm most excited about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as well as learning some more details about the new Mario. I also really hope they announce a new Animal Crossing and 2D Metroid. Just sayin'.

As a developer, I'm most excited about the new gameplay possibilities the Switch represents. A system that seems to actively encourage the development of games with local multiplayer is certainly nice to see.

Jools Watsham (Atooi): I am most excited about Nintendo's first-party titles. I imagine we'll see a very impressive line-up of first-party titles in 2017 and 2018, and I can't wait to dive in.

Manfred Linzner (Shin'en Multimedia): It's the whole concept. Nintendo created a lot of great features for the Switch that blend perfectly together in a great gaming machine for everyone.

Switch ad.jpg

Do you have any particular concerns about the Nintendo Switch?

David D'Angelo (Yacht Club Games): Everything they haven't shown yet! What will the games be, and how will they use the Nintendo Switch's new functionality? What will the OS be like and will the eShop be ready to go from day one? What's the price? But we think Nintendo has learned from their past mistakes and will pleasantly surprise everyone with a strong release.

Brjann Sigurgeirsson (Image & Form): 1. The very fact that it's also portable may limit the family aspect of system, which should be a concern for the family-oriented Nintendo. I'd imagine that a family console should be stationary and accessible to everyone at all times, which it won't be. Will the kids be allowed to take it outside the home? Will the grownups? Will the excitement for playing on the Switch dwindle if it's not in its cradle when you want to play? I think it'll be a perfect console for couples or singles, and that's maybe not what Nintendo is hoping for.

2. If people are like me they don't want a toy, they want a cool and useful gadget. That healthy "ka-ching!" sound from the reveal trailer's animated logo promises that, but... well, let's hope!

3a. A more private concern for us as a publisher is that, depending on what happens to the 3DS down the line, we may release on one Nintendo system in the future, not two. With the long history starting with the DS and Wii, there's for a long time been two potential Nintendo systems with their own strengths (and weaknesses) for every game. We may be selling a game "only once", and the game has to deliver both on the go and on a big screen, which are two different experiences.

Nintendo lost a lot of players to mobile in recent years, so the big question is if they will be able to get those players back.

3b. But that could just as well swing both ways. Nintendo fans will be able to decide quickly which platform they should buy into... since there'll be only one. And for us as a developer, it means we may have one less configuration to worry about when we make games!

Ivo Wubbels (Engine Software): Well, Nintendo lost a lot of players to mobile in recent years, so the big question is if they will be able to get those players back.

Graham Smith (Drinkbox Studios): I don't have any concerns with what they've revealed so far, as it all looks really cool to me. I do have a lot of questions about the details, such as how it compares in power to the other current generation of consoles, the price point of the console and cartridges, hard drive space, battery life, controller layout (are the triggers/bumpers useable when two people are playing?), controller feel, motion controls, touch screen features, etc...

Dant Rambo (Choice Provisions): Concerns may arise as we learn more about the system, but for the time being I'm very happy with what's been shown. As with any system, it will live and die by the games that come out for it. It seems that Nintendo is interested in acquiring and maintaining third-party support, so things are looking good on that front.

Jools Watsham (Atooi): Personally, I do not have any concerns about the Switch suiting my gaming needs. However, I think it will draw the natural criticism from some regarding parity with other console competitors, but I think it is clear by now that Nintendo isn't terribly concerned about that. I do think Nintendo has some work ahead of them to convince smartphone and tablet users to adopt the Switch, so it will be interesting to see how successfully that goes.

Manfred Linzner (Shin'en Multimedia): We would like to see a great lineup of Software at the launch of the system. That's vital for any system launch!

Switch.png

Are you confident that Switch will be a success for Nintendo; if so, why?

David D'Angelo (Yacht Club Games): I hope so! A strong Nintendo is great for the industry. Nintendo is always pushing other developers to focus on delivering fun, different game experiences. Being a success means more fans will see great games, and more developers will be focused on creating fun gameplay.

Brjann Sigurgeirsson (Image & Form): Yes, it will be a success. As usual it depends on a few things: Nintendo must deliver a stable machine with good specs, they must make sure that enough Image & Form games are released for it... and that the initial price point is attractive. The console itself surely looks attractive enough.

I'm optimistic that the Switch will have more mass appeal than the Wii U did, but probably not as much as the Wii.

Ivo Wubbels (Engine Software): We know that it is impossible to predict the success of any console. Nobody expected Wii to be such a huge success for instance. So it's hard to say. But the fact that Nintendo now has one system instead of a handheld and a console is a good thing. For instance their 1st party software teams can work for just one system. So probably more good 1st party games that will attract more people.

Graham Smith (Drinkbox Studios): I'm optimistic that the Switch will have more mass appeal than the Wii U did, but probably not as much as the Wii. If the console is able to get the larger third party publishers on board, I think the idea of being able to play full AAA games on a portable console will help Nintendo sell plenty of Switch units.

Dant Rambo (Choice Provisions): It's a crazy time in games right now, but all signs point to yes. I've noticed a tremendous amount of coverage for the game, including a lot of coverage in the mainstream press. A lot of people who don't follow game news closely seem aware of the system, which did not seem to be the case when the Wii U was announced (in my experience).

Jools Watsham (Atooi): Yes, I think the Switch will be more successful than Wii U. The messaging of the Switch is clear and I think it is something that is appealing. I am confident that Nintendo will have a very good software line-up for 2017, which will be instrumental in the success of the platform.

Manfred Linzner (Shin'en Multimedia): Nintendo has a very sweet offer for the players with the Switch and no one creates better games in our opinion. So we are pretty confident!

Glamour shot.jpg

Do you hope to support the Nintendo Switch in future?

David D'Angelo (Yacht Club Games): Of course!

Ivo Wubbels (Engine Software): As I said, we are already working on the platform, and yes I do hope to support Switch for a long time.

Graham Smith (Drinkbox Studios): Yes, we do hope to support the Switch with our games in the future.

Dant Rambo (Choice Provisions): We absolutely hope to! We got our start with the BIT.TRIP series on WiiWare, and we plan to continue to bring our games to Nintendo platforms. We're not ashamed to admit we're huge Nintendo fanboys and girls over here.

Jools Watsham (Atooi): Yes.

Manfred Linzner (Shin'en Multimedia): We've already been working on games for the Nintendo Switch for quite some time.


We'd like to thank all of these developers for their time. Let us know what you think of their comments below.