Topic: The Nintendo Switch Thread

It kind of starts late September with FIFA dominating over everything. Another franchise the Switch needs the full versions of.

By full version, I of course mean the same content the other consoles get so like with CoD there being the season pass and preorder DLC.

I am willing to bet a crisp £5 note (which shall go towards charity) that FIFA won't even be on the Nintendo Switch.

Besides, doesn't an awful lot of Nintendo fans usually say, 'we don't want FIFA and Call of Duty and all those kind of games on our system' anyway?

I just cannot see things changing between Nintendo and EA. That "unprecedented partnership" will always haunt them both.

Still trying to wrap my head around that one too. Cause in my book, more games equals more options, and that's always good. I rather have 10 games releasing in a given month, knowing that I can't even play more than two of them, than having nothing in the upcoming three months with the only game to look forward to being Paper Mario Color Splash.

@Peek-a-boo I'm tempted to wager the other way, and say the Switch will get FIFA, at least for the first year. Let's not forget that the Wii U, 3DS, Vita and even the DS got Fifa. A Switch version would be minimal effort compared to some of these.

EA have already said that they are putting "a game" on the Switch. It's FIFA. Like it's obviously FIFA. Come. On.........

At least there's a charity that's getting £5 out of nowhere now then.

I won't get it, but I hope FIFA comes to the Switch. Nintendo needs sports game to appeal to the sports fan, or at least show them they are serious about playing ball this new gen.

Y' know, actually, they need third party games period. Even if some don't buy them because they aren't their cup of tea, Nintendo needs to get rid of this mentality that their consoles are Nintendo machines only.

"If you sell it, they will come."

Sales = Third Parties. Nintendo needs to put everything into the Switch's launch.

The rest will take care of itself.

I cant help but think throughout all the hate and bashing and sales declines over the years that it has to be hard for those developers and staff to stay optimistic. It just dawned on me while watching some videos that some of them have to feel...downheartened? It's weird.

@Peek-a-boo that's mainly Nintendo fans that are bitter some companies don't want to put their games on their favorite console.

"oh you don't wanna give us call of duty or battlefield? Well we don't want you AAA scummy games anyway! "

Wow this thread got seriously Console Wars and needless bashing/generalisation and tales from peoples' asses for absolutely no reason whatsoever all of a sudden. Can I try?

• A-hem *- "Sony ponies only like dem linear cinematic games by failed movie directors that play themselves!"
  "Xboners gotta have them pewpewpews in their shoots bang-bang games!".

That'll do for parity I guess. I thought outside of Gamefaqs that tired meme of people not wanting games on their system because of some (Console Wars) reasons ended in 2006/7 but then I get proven wrong.

@Operative You know that attitude makes me wonder.

A lot of Nintendo fans just swore off crowdfunding after Yooka-Laylee proved to be the last nail (And Project CARS was arguably the first), and I imagine after Rayman Legends (Which even I admit was dumb, but I think it was in part to the Xbox360 and its "First or at same time" policy with releases), they feel the same with third parties.

Even EA with Mass Effect 3 was an example of stupid. Why would someone, logically, buy a game for $60 with missing features when that same game and two more sit complete in a Trilogy release for less? I know consumers are stupid, but they aren't THAT dumb, right?

It's made me wonder about a Nintendo paradox. Yes, sales lead to third parties coming, and vice versa. But let's assume loads of people buy it. Switch is bought, awesome, third parties see an opportunity. Now, does that mean it's a good investment for them? Think: Loads buy Switch, but that doesn't mean third party games will sell, and we all know if that doesn't happen what happens next. Plus, think for a moment. No matter how much simpler it is to port to Switch, it still costs some amount of money. Budgets will increase, possibly marginally, just on volume alone. And if one of the consoles isn't shifting a companies IP very well, the weakest gets cut. However, I don't mean just Switch failing to shift an IP.

Imagine if a game by Ubisoft is on all 3 major platforms. Development costs have gone up, but they make it for all 3 anyhow. It sells least on PS4, or Xbox One. This put the game in the red, and profit wont be made in future, so a platform has to be cut to cut costs. It wont be one of those two, as they have a larger established base, and that's more proven money by sheer numbers than the Switch will be maybe even a year in. So if something has to go, it has to be the smallest base, regardless of sales numbers of the game in question.

And no, I'm not blind fanboying, because no doubt this being the internet some part of this will come off that way. I'm just trying to put forward an idea that the Switch may be left out a year or two down, just because it's risk in a world where potential reward is getting further and further from being a simple "Push out a game" for these third parties. It will be the weakest link, regardless of how well a game sells.

At this point I think the game industry is inflating it's budgets to levels that simply cant be sustained in the long term. 5 years? Yeah sure. Pump it full of microtransactions and make a quick buck, give some legs to a game with DLC, which I'm fine with, and make it last longer as a platform. It's all about money Nintendo fans will get butt hurt, and while I can agree with them on some points, such as Rayman and EA (The former of which is weird, and the latter was just EA twiddling their thumbs) it also had some business sense behind it.

Now why those decisions were made, well it'll be budget for Rayman, and for EA god knows. But it all comes down to money. Even if a game sells 150/200/50, and it sold 200 on Switch but still made a loss, the smallest market will be cut as there is still, by sheer volume, less possible sales there, even if it sold most. Yeah, its not good, but its also what has happened time and time again. The investors behind developers aren't the brightest bunch as we all know.

@Shinion ...you haven't been on the wider internet for long have you? Don't go to YouTube and say you like Nintendo. Don't go to anywhere near a PC user and say you like consoles. Don't mention ANY around a PS4 fan.

Worst part is, the companies themselves (With the possible exception of Steam, who can forget Gabe Newell u-turning about Portal on PS3, but even that was long ago now ) are very amicable.

@BLP_Software If the Switch is as easy to develop for as some of the rumours say, then I don't see any issue with ports. Any game will surely sell some amount, even if it's not as much as on the other consoles. If the porting costs are virtually none, then it's still worth the effort to port them over.

@Octane Key word is IF. Again, it may well be, and it may well not be.

My main concern looking over the industry as a whole is a continuation of the poorer practices that gain steam. I just don't want it to continue but I know it will. It's worth remembering as we look and purchase these products. Who knows how many people said £7.99 is too much for an app, but pour more into microtransactions, and as such they ween their way into games. I think Forza now has a microtransaction that costs more than the game? That's mind-boggling and terrifying but becoming the standard.

I think at this point it's just how things are going to be. It's so far along and we know why its happening. Just gotta to keep an eye on what else can happen. After all, games are at the end of the day, products, and products exist for profit.

@BLP_Software well I was just surprised is all to see a couple of posts that amounted to not much more than:

"Ayyy lmao most Nintendo fans hate non-Nintendo games so what's the point in talking about them eh?"
"I know right? Stupid Nintendo fans that say * Insert quote I just made up here *."

I thought this place was better than Gamefaqs and YouTube comments is all. But I'm sure that this was all an interesting and well-thought-out topic to go down so who am I to complain? Console Wars are never out of season!

@Shinion Well, it's the internet. Just remember being a Nintendo fan is like being a sheep in a group of wolves. XD

@BLP_Software well if there were no stupid generalisations there'd be no need for this sorta thing but people can't help themselves it seems. There's always got to be some angle or reason why things are the way they are and of coooouurse it's down to the majority of Nintendo fans who hate FIFA and COD because they don't have that certified Nintendo seal of quality (amiibo Festival y'all!) on their boxes.

See how mature and insightful I'm being you guys!

Anyway we're nearly there, December is almost up and we've only got the couple of grade A jesters so we're doing OK I guess.

We might make it to January the 12th without more hilarious and insightful comments from these totally neutral onlookers like oh I dunno trying to downplay Nintendo's success to 'luck' or 'lightning in a bottle' or 'something-something-casuals-something' but I wouldn't bet on it myself. They are so unpredictable after all.

@Shinion Those "Luck" agenda folks flip flop so much. Hell even Nintendoomers go from "Doom!" to "It might be okay, be cautiously optimistic" to "No it sucks", which just crushes the hope of people.

Less than 3 weeks guys. Not long now. And itll only get louder until the 13th...and then itll either be praise or god forbid...

Well the Wii U got reasonably timely releases of CoD, Assassin's Creed, FIFA, NBA, Just Dance and Need for Speed. Sure support fell off once the sales didn't come through but they were all there for that launch window. Of course you may end up being right about FIFA specifically but I wouldn't be at all surprised if we did see it on the Switch.

Lets not forget that for the Switch we already have some of those kind of games basically confirmed. NBA, Just Dance and Skyrim specifically. So basically what I'm saying is, you better have that £5 note ready.

On a totally different tone.... Its almost 99% certain it won't happen, but I'd like a port of the FF13 trilogy by SE for the Switch. Never played it on PS3, and I doubt my notebook runs it. I'd love to see if its truly so terrible as people claim, because at least the soundtrack I've hearing lately is excellent.

Now, back to waiting. I'm optimistic about the Switch!