CD Projekt Red "Probably" Won't Port Cyberpunk 2077 To Nintendo Switch

Most probably I won't play on Switch but it would be abosulutely awesome if we could.

That's not too big a deal, I was getting this on PC anyway.

It would be extremely impressive to get it on Switch, but I do think it would have to be a hugely reduced port not only because of the graphics but because of the persistent world. Hell, I doubt the base PS4 will even run it particularly well so I’m getting it on PC instead of waiting for PS5.

If they do, it will probably be cel-shaded like Astral Chain.

I Got a Pre-order on PC because I do not think my regular PS4 will do it justice. Playing an even more cut down Switch version is really not an option regardless

I can play something else on the GO.

I understand the desire to make an incredibly realistic graphical world, with all the latest graphic technics and bestest poly counts, but I wish more devs simply made fun scalable games.

Skyrim is an amazing game, but despite owning practically every version ever made (but the VR one) I only ever played the whole thing through when I got the switch version. It makes a huge difference being able to play on a bus, plane, bed, or basically anywhere.

I’m sure this story will repeat wirh Witcher III, another game I own in too many systems but never played far into.

Playing on a tv is fun, playing anywhere is best (and laptops don’t cut it.)

@nintendolie
I would totally play a cell-shaded Cyberpunk 2077, assuming the core gameplay and content stays the same.

I think the Witcher III already had me cover on Switch. Besides once the game goes for pennies on Steam, then I may check it out. Even if this game never got ported to Switch, at the very least make a game in the franchise for Switch. I mean the main Dead Space games never made it to Wii but at the very least it got a unique spinoff in Dead Space Extraction. Same for the House of the Dead, House of the Dead 3 & 4 never made to Wii but that doesn't stop Sega from making The House of the Dead: Overkill. What I'm trying to say is stop with the ports and just give us a unique title for Switch. Maybe instead of Cyberpunk 2077, how bout a prequel story that took place before that, call it Cyberpunk: Before 2077

If there's not a chance did can run on an Xbox 360, there's no chance it'll run on the switch. Like, people always reference the AAA ports that did make to to the switch, but all of them with the exception of ID games already had versions that ran on consoles with a similar output. I mean, I'm really really sure that the only way there will be any AAA ports of anything in the future will be is if there is a significant hardware update. Even then, I still expect the switch to be a generation behind, but PS4 games on a handheld? that's even more dope than PS3 games on a handheld.

The Switch would melt trying to run this game.

@nintendolie Eh, every first party switch game is uses a bright color palette. Mostly it's to hide the lower resolution, but it's also to make things easier to see on a smaller screen. It's not just astral chain, literally every first and second party game on the switch. I can't even think of an exception.

@Tharsman To be fair, at the time those games came out they were graphically stretching things a bit. I mean, both those games have the benefit of being 6 and 3 years old before the switch even came out, let alone when the ports were made.

Well maybe, if Nintendo ever makes a Switch Pro that’s worthy of the name and not just a minuscule upgrade that I expect from them.

Not for the Switch, but maybe Nintendo's next console.

This games gonna be a laggy mess on PS4/Xbone positioned with that release date to sucker them into laying down 599 US Dollars for new consoles. You might think this would be bad for CDR but it won’t matter because reviews will ignore these issues just like they did with Skyrim on consoles especially on PS3.
Last year had several games (especially RDR2, Spider-Man and God of War) that made it very questionable why we need new expensive consoles already and that’s bad news for the industry that doesn’t see the increasing problem with the console generation concept. The industries’ answer to this was to push lots of games into 2020 so they can launch with these new consoles. As these “AAA” devs struggle to get more than 2 games out on PS4/Xbone now imagine what the future will bring.

I thought Cyberpunk 2077 looked too gnar for the Switch. Trying to port that seems like a nonstarter. I welcome being wrong, though.

Depending on Witcher 3 sales?

@Xansies the latest wolfenstein and doom games also stretch the limits of what PCs can do, and yet we get them on the switch too.

Lets see how witcher 3 does on the switch before asking for this.

@nessisonett Yeah this game looks like a graphical beast, that’s for sure. It will be really interesting to see how The Outer Worlds is on Switch. If that can run well and they make it a manageable file size, I’d say anything is possible.

The switch would have a stroke trying to run this game

@Tharsman The thing is the type of games help a lot when it comes to scaling these things. With wolfy and doom you're literally walking down a hallway or small circular structure and shooting, at most ten things withing 20 feet of you. From my understanding a lot of tricks are done there with the idea that things don't need to be there until the player is about to see it. Even then the detail and textures are scaled way, way, way back. Even then it's impossible to say that either game runs well relative to any other verison, but hey, they work. So that's something

It's a different thing than trying to render an open world with dozens of different things going on at once. Basically, everything that can stress a modern system was stripped away and those games still run at sub hd resolutions and almost 30 fps mostish of the time. I mean, the games run, but saying they run should be qualified with the word 'kinda'

@mlj11 Even if Nintendo did make a next gen console after the Switch, it'll probably still be weaker than the competitors despite being 2 or 3x powerful than the base Switch. Nintendo learn from their past mistakes that powers doesn't really benefit them as much as they would hope.

@Tharsman doom and wolfenstein stretched the limits of PC rigs? Ummm a 2012 PC maybe?

I was agreeing to get this game on pc but if they do a great job ...

@retro_player_22 The high development cost these days make Switch exclusive 3rd party games near impossible. Also HotD 3 was on Wii.

If they are working on a Switch version then they wouldn't be announcing it just yet. Why jeopardise sales on other platforms when hardcore fans can double dip later?

Plus storage costs will likely come down even further, making the use of 32GB or perhaps 64GB carts more viable (though I still wouldn't expect many to use them).

A reminder to people who write comments : A lot of Switch gamers do not own another video game platrform or they don't like playing on PC.

The game WOULD actually just fit on a memory card... but there would be no more space to add the Mario hats which means the project is dead before it starts.

This is why I pre ordered Witcher 3. Quick everybody lets buy 2 copies each of Witcher 3 on Switch haha

@BarefootBowser Yeah this is what I wrote yesterday. If you downgrade the resolution, frame rate, effects, geometry, number of enemies, etc. you can make any game run on Switch (Wolfenstein 2) but the question is "Is it worth it?" If the port is profitable then it was worth it at least for the publisher but it doesn't mean that the Switch is as powerful as an Xbox One S.

The exclusive games like Super Mario Odyssey, Mario + Rabbids (currently on sale) and the new ones like Luigi's Mansion 3 are the games that play and look good on Switch. The ports are give and take unless they are last-gen games, 2D games or Android games.

Being a first-person game, I'm personally hoping for a VR edition down the line (on next gen consoles that is).

I’d rather play this on PS4 Pro/PS5. Switch could be neat if done properly but I still think the more powerful systems would be far more ideal.

@Tharsman Yea I miss those games, honestly alot of the best looking games are just becoming bad movies rather then fun games with tons of replay value

The Switch has better games coming anyway

@NotTelevision what do mean with run “well”, the devs also has said that The Outer Run is not that big of a game, only time will tell what they did with the Switch conversion of it.

Cyberpunk is pushing the twins at their limits (especially the base platforms) and is a way bigger, more beautiful, and heavier game.

People need to learn to accept that the Switch can not run every game or otherwise it will melt down or look really unplayable like the ‘playable’ DOOM on Switch that is always used as an excuse to say that everything can run on the Switch.

@KoekiieWoekiie Doom is also used as an excuse to say that Switch is similar to Xbox One S and PS4.

Don’t even know what cyber punk is

@sandman89

Keep it that way, you're not missing out on anything.

@KoekiieWoekiie Yeah I didn’t say it would be ideal, and I don’t think every developer should feel the need to cram their game on Switch. I’m only saying how the barometer of what is possible on the system seem to keep being pushed further every year.

Would I play Cyberpunk on the Switch? Well, I’m double-dipping on Witcher 3 even with the decreased resolution.

The Outer Worlds is an open world, graphically intensive game, that is coming out around the same time on Switch as the other consoles.

If the market is there for people who want these games handheld, who’s to say it isn’t possible? They are already going to need to work pretty hard to get Cyberpunk to run on Xbox One S. Why not Switch?

@Xansies re Doom and Wolfie2 I don’t disagree with a word you’ve written. However despite the compromises I still had a blast with both of them and very happy to have them on Switch. Ive got Switcher3 on order. I hope it sells well enough to reflect the effort put in by CDKR and hopefully they’ll be consider putting CyberPunk on the next Switch if not the current model.

Why even mention it? By saying they will look into it they are just setting themselves up for ire if they end up deciding not to do it. If they haven't decided they should just say they don't have anything to say on the topic at the moment.

Certain games just not made for the switch as most nintendo games not made for consoles

This really isn't surprising. The footage I have seen for the Witcher 3 port looks great but you can really see the sacrifices they have made to get it to run. I reckon cyberpunk may be one step to far.

But hey, it's amazing they took the time to get us the port of the Witcher that many people requested! Cd project red really are great!

A switch pro may be able to solve this. I’m still over the moon Witcher 3 is coming!

I will get it on pc probably (or maybe ps4 pro) but a Switch release sounds awesome, sadly it won’t happen.... maybe on the rumored Switch pro?

If we ever get a Switch pro with better innards then a slightly scaled back port (such as Doom) could well be possible.

But they gave us Witcher 3 already and not only is that very impressive, it's really nice of them to make sure Switch users are not left out when Cyberpunk does drop next year.

For that alone they can have my money for Witcher 3 at full price.

Damn if they did it KNOW I guess I could still cancel my PC preorder. I really wanna play this game but I wanna play it even more on switch (my switcher 3 is thankfully coming soon, and physical no less)

@PBandSmelly the effort it would take to port an indie game vs. a AAA open world RPG running on an engine a few steps up from Witcher 3, and brimming in geometric detail, is night and day

I can't really see it happening either

@BlueOcean The difference with DOOM is that id Tech 6 was a significantly more scaleable engine and was built to natively support Vulkan architecture-platforms like Switch

People keep saying "If Witcher 3 can happen then ANYTHING can come to Switch!" but you have to realize that if the engine is unable to support the platform at all then it just physically can't be done

I have been trying to tell for years now, that you can pretty much make any game run on any system that is at least on 360/PS3 level. There is nothing about the gameplay that requires anything of note, internal hardwarewise.
The only thing, where hardware really comes into play, is graphics and graphics can always be down- or upgraded to whatever you need.
I have been trying to say that in the past in discussions about Witcher 3 as well and... Here it is!

The only two question, if you want to port a game to a weaker system, are:

Is the amount of work required to do that worth it? The weaker the system is, the more work it usually is to port and downgrade that kind of game.

Is the inevitable downgrade worth it? If the game, in the end, looks so bad that you do not want to sell it like this, then yeah...

But is it possible? Yes, always.

I can barely keep up with Red Dead Redemption II. Some these newer games; albeit gorgeous, brimming with detail and rich gameplay, leaves me wallowing with information, steep learning curve and importantly... lack of time.

RDR2 takes roughly an entire day to play it for a little bit. Most days, I don’t have that kind of time and I’m sure like the Witcher 3, Cyberpunk will be no different. There’ll be a day I play it, but it may be on the Switch 3 in 2024.

It's okay, I probably wouldn't buy it for Switch either.

Kind of waste playing it the Switch imo

The main factor in whether a game can come to a weaker platform is money. If there is money to be made then it can be done, at least in some form.

I have Cyberpunk preordered for the Xbox One X because I'm not sure how well the game will perform on my PC.

@NotTelevision who’s to say?
I’d say the developers and the hardware the game will be on.

I understand people want this game on Switch, but this game is not the Witcher 3.

Trust me I want this and other fps-style games on Switch, I made topics about it on Reddit and tweeted several developers about ports for older fps games.

not surprised to be honest. This game is one of the last current gen games for ps4 heck its even coming on ps5 i hear and it said it will push ps4 to its limit.

@Tharsman no, doom and wolfy do not stretch the limits of PC lol, infact they can run on pretty old hardware

@KoekiieWoekiie It's not a first person shooter

It's an open world RPG that happens to be in the first person perspective

@BlueBlur101 yeah I should have clarified more on that.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you make a system that isn't as powerful as the competition. I don't think developers particularly like trying to adjust their games to fit on technically inferior hardware.

Just get it for XBone, PS4, or PC if you just HAVE to play this one. I'm getting an Xbox One this christmas anyway and I might pick this one up.

@Doktor-Mandrake Im talking about Doom Ethernal, Mr Lol.

Also, a game can push the limits of modern PCs and still run on older hardware via that magic word: scalable. It’s not a new concept and given high end PCs are not the norm, all PC games already support said scalability.

Exclusive in-game footage https://i.redd.it/xokc15f6m6431.jpg

This doesn't affect me either way. And I didn't really expect this game to be possible on Switch at all - but for those who would like to see it, it would be a welcome addition.

Another case of: "Lol this game could never work on Switch ever"

And then port announced: "Holy crap this game runs on Switch"

Happens every single time.

@Tharsman The system requirements haven't even been revealed for Doom Eternal.. These games aren't examples of pushing PC power to its core.. Aside from the raytracing support it will recieve, it's not going to be that demanding

Please refrain from talking about stuff you clearly know nothing about.. id software use their own in-house engine, there are also MANY other factors into what makes a game demanding..

You can't just come along and say "well if doom and wolfenstein run on switch then that means ANYTHING can run on switch herpa derp"

@patbacknitro18 Yeah, look how that turned out for Ark lol

Given the requirements of the game, I don't see it being possible on current Switch. However, given CDPR's interest in Switch and the interest and success of Witcher 3, I could easily see them keeping this game in mind for the NEXT Switch generation.

@Doktor-Mandrake that’s not what I said, Mr Lol.

I said games can be made scalable, and I said... meh you don’t care. If you did you could go read the post.

Anyways, it’s an insult for you that a game could get a low graphic settup, so I will stop, dont want to continue hurting your feelings with the idea.

@Tharsman I mean for the first sentence of your first comment I can give some examples of games with good non-cell shaded graphics that were fun, such as Resident evil 4, Twilight princess, God of War, Gears of war, Halo series, Dark Souls trilogy, the Macross games, Ace combat series and I could go on.

Now some things just arent possible, maybe they are but it'd probably come at a price, an example of that is how Monolith-soft said porting Xenoblade X will be as expensive as making a new game, so a port isn't very likely and that game ran on a system that had 2 gigs of ram and only used 1 to run the game and a poor gpu, so if a game like that had trouble, image trying to port a game that's minimum requirements is to have 8 gigs of ram and also taken into account that it's an open world game that's gonna have alot of stuff going on, not just traveling through the woods with a horse, probably as seen in the E3 trailer where there are dozens of objects on screen all the time since you're in a city, That's already gonna make it run poorly despite toning down the graphics.

Now don't take this like you took the other guy, I wasn't trying to start anything, just putting my opinion out there.

They know they can't unless they completely change the art direction in it (not realistic, basically). But this is how you do a nice, respectful, consumer friendly response. Good on them.

@Tharsman Stop comparing apples and oranges

Cyberpunk 2077 isn't using idtech, and it isn't developed by id software

Doom and Wolfenstein aren't open world games

Even just looking at videos of Cyberpunk 2077 and then look at Doom Eternal footage, its pretty obvious Cyberpunk is the more demanding game.

Wolfenstein and Doom are not poster boys for you to claim its possible to port 'any' game over because they are not demanding games to begin with.

What you going to ask for next, the new Microsoft Flight Simulator?

@Big-Pepsi, i have not asked at any point for every game to be cell-shaded cartoon fest, but the list of games you mentioned are games that looked great at their time in some of the weakest hardware available.

Good art direction does not mean "force any computer built last month to run at 15fps" nor does it mean "make everything look like Wind Waker.

I know some games were built the way they were built (something I said from the start) I just expressed I wish more devs, from the start, made their games scalable. I am actually shocked CDPR ever considered doing the Witcher 3 scale down to Switch levels, I recall seeing a lot of comments from them not being happy with having to downscale to PS4/XBO levels to begin with.