Feature: Top Nindies On the Nintendo Switch Concept, Its Positives and Key Unanswered Questions

I am glad to hear Shin'en have been working on a Switch game already.

Time to take the big developers/publishers down a peg and make them look like amateurs again.

I hope it gets support from VD-DEV too with their insane practice of writing game engines in assembly, because why the stupid hell not?

Great to read some positivity from indie developers who, for me, represent an extremely important element in the success of the Switch. I'm also incredibly interested in their talking about the focus on 'young people' and adults

@A01 : Big Shin'en fan. That was my favorite part of the article!

The focus and accesability is a key thing.

Having had a game in the pipeline and the hope to now bring it to Switch, I can say ideas translate very easily. When I get around to funding I hope the prospect of a Switch release is a good thing to run alongside the game itself. Thats my only concern.

Nice to read that Shin'en are developing for Switch. Can't wait to see what they pump out!

Whilst all of the developers here are great, I'm mainly interested in Yaught Club Games! If they continue the Shovel Knight franchise in switch, then there is no doubt in my mind that I will buy one!

lol that moment you think of adults as young people

Shovel knight switch-up!

Switch between shovel knight and shield knight and use their unique abilities to fight evil!

Or use the Joy-Con Comtrilets to team up with a friend and fight evil together

Hmm... I'd like to know if any of them are going to port exisiting games or are planning on some promotional "upgrade" pricing to bring their games to the switch rather than re-buy.

The apparent lack of any backwards compatibility with the Switch means that many games simply can't come forward to it without significant effort. For example, as it is, Affordable Space Adventures is tied to the Wii U inextricably.

Just wondering if any feel a pressure to port a game or two over. For some reason I feel like Shovel Knight will just because they will do anything but make a new game. (I kid. Yacht Club is awesome and I'm expecting and hoping they are working on something brand new in parallel and I think their additional content has been commendable and exemplary.)

@rjejr Actually, as a total aside, because I guess my brain just wants to wander, I just had this idea that Nintendo might want to include a type of local multiplayer with the switch that completely embraces other mobile devices like smartphones. Perhaps their apps integrate in real-time with the Switch. It could act as a central server, or score board, or "second screen" for games that are controlled by mobile devices. Affordable Space Adventures made me think of it just now, but think table top style games, or space team (if you know that one) or Mario party, where a mobile app working in tandem with a Switch game or app could bring second screen gaming back with a different angle.

It has come up before, but I just mean it could be a real initiative. Like all Nintendo mobile games are also meant to play with Switch games in a real-time manner in local groups.

@feelinsupersonic Man, it's happening to me. lol.

You'll notice they all gushed over the idea of this replacing Nintendo's home and handheld business.

Its why it's imperative that by the end of Switch year one the 3DS gets the old yella treatment.

I love the 3DS but it being "actively" supported by Nintendo whilst the Switch is out will harm the Switch, doubly so if there is 0 backwards compatibility

@Clownshoes I wish all these developers had been working on Switch for awhile and had launch games lined up, but I guess negative sensationalism is more your thing than reading comprehension?

@feelinsupersonic that moment when you fall in love on a Nintendo life article!

@abe_hikura I partly agree with you. Having the 3DS around for at least a year with some good third party support is important for good will and to have a more portable option for the younger people while they begin to pine over the Switch. It's going to be priced a bit high and be less portable for them. They'll need to warm up to the idea or begin with it as a home console primarily, I'm guessing.

I'm more concerned that Nintendo might not drop development of new games for the 3DS quick enough. A big advantage of the Switch is Nintendo games funneling to one platform rather than divided up onto two, as one of the devs mentioned. It's the reason I'm okay with the performance being lower than the other home consoles.

If I see a new 2D Metroid game on the 3DS next year I'm going to be upset. Maybe a year or two ago I'd have been ecstatic but if one is made I want it on the Switch.

@Clownshoes

Hahaha exactly! What a pointless fluff piece. If these guys had negative opinions they would never share them as to not hurt their chances at working with Nintendo in the future.

@Clownshoes Where else should we've gotten early impressions on the Switch? Even if we were to see WiiU sales figures on the Switch, considering that Nintendo has laxed on indie publishing laws from the Wii and Dsi days and that both Nintendo and indies has garnered massive support,(There was a Shovel Knight amiibo for Pete's sake!) and the power of the Switch itself. I can only see the indie scene at least to grow exponentially from here.

Fast-er Racing Neo for Switch!

@WilliamCalley
Not "pointless" for discerning readers. Certainly the 2 out of 6 developers that are actually in a current contractual agreement involving Switch are very limited, but do have a unique perspective that almost no one else can share.

Additionally, the other 4 aren't likely to bash it, but their concerns are from a perspective pundits and gamers don't have.

I guess if you are looking for people to bash the device you will be disappointed with this article. That makes sense.

'Ivo Wubbels' lol.

So many questions remain unanswered. And they're pivotal to whether Switch succeeds or not.

Yeah Nintendo switch is great.

Im on the Nintendo payroll

@aaronsullivan "but I guess negative sensationalism is more your thing than reading comprehension?"

It's all he's got. I remember when I first used the internet.

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

Nice!

Concept-wise, this thing is pure gold. Flexible, slick, and with a central "gimmick" that seems well thought-out and affects the functionality of the system as a whole.

I really, really hope Nintendo actually aggressively markets the thing and launches it with some cool exclusive software to get a strong running start, though.

These are the guys who'll really matter for the Switch. I can cope with no Red Dead 2 if I have Fast Racing Neo 2 to pass the time.

I have big hopes for the Switch, and I think it will do fairly well if Nintendo keeps the third party around this time.

To me, this system is basically what people where hoping the Wii U was actually going to be. I like the fact that the system looks very slick, and looks more like something a grown up could have in their place, instead of past Nintendo consoles which looked more "childish" looking. I also like the third party support announced for it, but need to actually hear some games coming to this thing.

Only things I can think of that will hurt this system right out of the gate is if Nintendo slaps a too high of a price on the system, and if the third party launch games are basically a year or more older ports of X1 and Ps4 games at full price.

@ThomasBW84 Engine's comments were most intriguing. The fact that they expected kids to be featured, just like analysts noted, as well as their take that it seems more like a portable that can also hook up to a TV are the 2 biggest missed opportunities/issues Nintendo will run into with Switch.

All the use cases in the reveal trailer seemed like things kinds/teenagers would do with the Switch (outside of the guy walking his dog) as opposed to grown adults in their 20s.

Additionally, many people have been talking about Switch in terms of being a portable first, which flies directly in contradiction to how Nintendo is positioning the console.

I expect maybe GCN lifetime sales number for Switch, which would unfortunately spell disaster for Nintendo being that they have no DS/3DS to save it from drowning this time around. I also expect Nintendo to begin relying more and more heavily on mobile.

@aaronsullivan

Nah, actually it's called critical thinking. I'm taking into consideration the potential personal biases of the people answering the questions. It's a very basic concept when considering where certain facts/information is coming from.

Not staying these guys are lying, but an anonymous survey would be the way to go to get a more 'open' analysis.

No developer in their right mind (especially indie guys) would ever throw Nintendo under the bus on a questionnaire like this.

@Clownshoes Plenty of those games sold significantly better on Nintendo platforms, including Shovel Knight and the Steamworld series.

@aaronsullivan "where a mobile app working in tandem with a Switch"

One, if they do that I hope it's years down the road so as not to scare off the gamers. Two, they wont' do that b/c it makes sense. I;m still waiting for "Wii Play Together" where grandma and the kids play checkers and hang-man while video-chatting. That would have been the #1 way to get the casuals on board. "Hey, Wii sports fans, enjoyed playing Wii bowling at home w/ your friends? Now enjoy Wii bowling while vid-chatting w/ your friends online! Now in HD!" Reggie and Iwata made that vid chat color on the screen video, and then nothing, they just let it go. I would have had my parents and sisters buy Wii U if vid-chat was a part of Sports Resort 2 or Boom Blox 3.

So I'm not expecting mobile connectivity to show up for awhile, and I hope it doesn't. Mobile games can, and probably should, show up, if there's a touchscreen, but don't promote those either.

Here's my take.I don't care what these indie devs say, only a very small number of people will buy a $300 home console for indie games. Indies are desert, you need the main course first. So where are EA w/ FIFA and Madden, Activision w/ CoD, Ubi w/ whatever big game they make next and Squenix w/ FFXV and the FF7 remake? If Nintned wants to sell thsi as a $300 portable home console, it needs home console games. Icing w/o the cake doesn't work for me.

Very good article. It's great to here such positive comments and genuine excitement from a handful of successful devs. They echo a lot of my own positive thoughts, questions and potential risks about the Switch.

Awesome answers guys. Everyone did very well ;P
Glad to hear so much positivity about it.

The developers from Image & Form sound very confident, and if you check their own Twitter page, you can clearly see that they know FAR more than they are letting on here, and what they know is good.

I also see a decent amount of criticism in the question concerning their worries for the system, so the salty people in the comments section are wrong in their assessment that these interviews were far too positive.

Of course it is true that to an extent, you're not going to step on any toes as a developer for Nintendo, but that doesn't mean that you aren't able to express some worries or criticism.

And even though these weren't interviewed, we've already seen and heard plenty of triple A developers express their interest and enthusiasm for the Switch, and the list of third party developers is pretty long, also containing many developers never even seen before on a Nintendo console, probably due in VERY large part to Nvidia's contacts in the PC gaming scene, so perhaps this is a match made in heaven, who knows?

We'll find out more in a couple of months and there will probably be a leak or two happening before that. I'm hoping that the January presentation or Direct is predominantly going to be about confirmed games and developers. That list is nice and hopeful, but there's still a lot of room for developers to walk away for whatever reason, so once they're out in the open with confirmed titles, we can at least all settle down for a while and watch and learn how smoothly all these games will run on the Switch, and more importantly: how they will sell on the Switch, because even performance doesn't tell the entire story.

So, there's a part for us to play in it, too. If we aren't going to buy these games, then they could run like a dream, but it wouldn't help Nintendo in securing continuing support from all these third parties...

I have never really noticed a two page article before on NL. Nice article. I do think we will get more answers later. The developers answers seemed measured. Of course they are not going to say it sucks. They are going to try to promote the console that someday might have their product. The only developer that I'm interested in this article is Yacht Club.

This article got me excited about the switch all over again.

Well, seems the negative people with little to contribute have struck again in the comments, they could get free DLC for their favourite game & then complain that the download took too long.

Overall, this is positive. Even if they're being diplomatic... the only time a developer EVER bothers with manners is when they're considering working with a platform & don't want to close their options. Hope to see them ALL contribte to the Switch eventually.

I believe Nintendo still care with kids audience. I believe also Switch will still have a lot of Kids friendly games, just like Wii did.

@rjejr
"So I'm not expecting mobile connectivity to show up for awhile, and I hope it doesn't. Mobile games can, and probably should, show up, if there's a touchscreen, but don't promote those either."
I don't think you have to worry about Nintendo promoting things too soon.

My main point here is that Nintendo is acknowledging that people have chosen to carry around smartphones and instead of trying to replace them, they are making mobile apps/games for them.

Maybe that will carry over to making the Switch an ideal game system that can interact with the other devices people have on the go already. If people could interact with a Switch for some fun trivia game or party game with their own smartphones it could be a sort of game hub.

All of this is a secondary purpose but the more normal it would become the more the whole second screen thing becomes viable in some circumstances. Your second screen is on your smartphone or tablet. Map, Inventory, Stats, Guide, Secondary view. I think it works best when it is something a second player can help with, too, like the original GBA and Wind Waker interactivity for instance.

But no, not a primary feature, but taking something like Pokemon GO, Super Mario Run, Animal Crossing and/or Fire Emblem and letting them directly interact with deeper controller-required Switch games seems like a good way to show people why it's better and why they should have a Switch in addition to the mobile device they already have.

As for the Switch having a touchscreen I can see it avoiding that altogether if Nintendo is not about trying to overlap functionality with cheap tablets that can do that already. It's all a matter of how important Nintendo sees non-gaming apps and how it feels the market for kids will work. All those cheap tablets you show that kids want make it seem like a market is there for it, but it also is reminder that the market for that type of thing is probably saturated already.

@WilliamCalley Conspiracy thinking isn't critical thinking, especially if you fully read all the comments instead of making a silly assumption based on a headline and your feelings (the total opposite of critical thinking).

@MadAdam81

You are guaranteed to hear only positive answers when you ask a bunch of independent game developers who are either currently working on games for Nintendo, or would like to in the future, to publicly give their opinion on new hardware.

It's like going to a Hillary Clinton rally and asking people in the crowd to give their opinions on Donald Trump. You know what you are going to hear before you even ask.

That's why I take this information with a grain of salt. It doesn't really mean anything. And we don't even really learn anything.

Not a conspiracy. Just common sense.

@3MonthBeef No offense, but I'm not entirely seeing how this relates to my comment. I also don't think that a combination of Indies and mobile developers is a good alternative for real triple A developers, if that is what you were getting at. Most of them wouldn't know how to make a big budget game anyways, or simply don't have the budget or manpower to do so.

Regardless of whether the buying audience wants or understands certain third parties, Nintendo still NEEDS them, and desperately too, otherwise the Switch will do just as bad as the Wii U, plain and simple. And that is something that neither Nintendo or Nvidia can afford themselves, so they will do their utmost to reel in and secure those third parties mentioned on that list, so I'm cautiously optimistic that the third party situation on the Switch will be a considerable improvement over the situation on the Wii U, but hopefully we will find out more about that in January.

A few extra comments from Image & Form on the Switch in the article below. They're happy with it.

Dev On Nintendo Switch: “Definitely Not Skimping On Power!” & “Great” Screen, Has “No Concerns”

http://wccftech.com/dev-nintendo-switch-power-great-screen/

The award for best comment goes to "This made me realize that I'm getting old."

Been there, done that

@3MonthBeef I just consider myself a gamer/someone who likes to play games/a Nintendo fan. None of this hardcore/casual nonsense. That's something for the current generation of self-assertion addicted numbskulls to fight over. I'm too old and wise to tire myself with such trivialities.

Perhaps we can make a better differentiation by using the term console gamers vs smart device gamers. Not all console gamers are "hardcore" and not all smart device gamers are "casual". I know quite a few people that spend hours of their day playing some type of MOBA or RTS on their tablet/iPad, so that's hardly casual...

And like I said: I just don't see it happening that mobile and/or Indie developers are going to make those "kick-butt games" and triple A experiences, so they will never be able to replace the big publishers, mainly because of the reasons I already mentioned before (budget, manpower).

And that's more than likely also not what Nintendo is gunning for. Their partnership with Nvidia might already be testament to that, but besides that, it's not going to gain them enough traction with a larger audience. Those Indies won't be unique to Nintendo's console, and most people/kids will already have a smart phone to play these mobile games on, so that won't be a reason to buy a Switch.

P.S.

This reply was not meant to poke holes, only to emphasize my previous statements.

Hmm whenever they talked about the benefits of going portable with the Switch, it came across as redundant. Oh you can show your friends a fun new game you got? Can do that for mobile phone games. Can take your games anywhere? Can also do it on a phone. Can get games in HD? Same again. It's just much more convenient for the average person to utilise the game library on their phone than it is to lug a separate portable around.

I will be getting the Switch, but purely for home use. I really don't see portable use taking off like Nintendo hopes for.

C'mon guys... I know Jools is with Atooi and not Renegade Kid anymore, but he's gotta get props for a game other than Chicken Wiggle.

@Prizm

Nobody buys a smart phone for its game playing abilities. The Switch will appeal to gamers who understand how the addition of analog sticks and buttons greatly enhances their game playing experiences.

Besides, not every gamer has time to sit in their living room and devote hours to all these open world games. It's a nice convenience to be able to take this experience out of the house. More console games'll be played to completion. Nintendo's not trying to replace Candy Crush or Angry Bird additions. That's what Super Mario Run and Pokemon Go are for.

@3MonthBeef Good. Glad you are mature and intelligent enough to pick up on that. Would loathe to have a discussion about it, wasting both our precious time.

@ThomasBW84 That makes sense. If that is the case, it looks like you worked really hard on this because you had two pages.

@ThomasBW84 gotcha.