Each year, ahead of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, the organisation releases its State of the Game Industry Report. It surveys around 2700 developers that have been to the event or signed up to share their views, and through the results gives some interesting insights into current trends and major topics.
An interesting statistic from a Nintendo point of view always relates to active development projects and future plans. In past generations of this report the Wii U and 3DS would often record single digit percentages of developers working on or interesting in making a game for the company's hardware. The situation is far healthier for Switch.
In the category 'which platforms are you developing your current project for?', below is a sample of the results.
- PC - 63%
- PlayStation 5 - 31%
- Android - 30%
- iOS - 30%
- Xbox Series X|S - 29%
- Xbox One (or One X) - 22%
- PlayStation 4 (or Pro) - 21%
- Nintendo Switch - 20%
While a reaction may be to worry at Switch being down in 8th, it's in the same ballpark as last-gen consoles (which is unsurprising in terms of its capabilities), and at this stage in its lifecycle is unlikely to match PS5 / Xbox Series X|S. Switch is also up in 6th place for a category focused on platforms for future projects, with 19% naming the system. When asked more vaguely 'which platforms interest you as a developer right now' the result is even better, with Switch in 3rd (behind PC and PS5) on 39%.
The dominant platform remains PC, of course, while mobile is still a major focus due to the size of its market. As the Switch advances towards its 5th Anniversary, though, it remains relatively high in terms of active development, planned development and the interest it generates among developers. It's a far cry from much lower interest in the last generation.
If you wish to review the report yourself you can access it for free on this page, with the only requirement being sharing some basic personal details. As you'd expect from a State of the Game Industry Report it tackles a broad range of topics, including accessibility, diversity, social activism, cryptocurrencies and NFTs. It gives a good feel for opinions among those working in the industry, including areas where viewpoints and approaches may be shifting.
[source reg.gdconf.com]
Comments 35
I expected as much for results on Switch.
One (PC Master race) to rule them all
Just goes to show that even with a 100milion instal base the lower spec means that many companies just won’t develop games for the switch.
Thank god for the few that support. It’s time Nintendo start buying some of these up, before the competition do, and we lose those few titles that they produce for our system.
Here’s a few I’d like to see Nintendo buy.
Sega, Capcom, playtonic, team 17……
Interesting. I wonder, are PC game sales tracked to the same degree as console games? Cause PC doesn't show up in many charts. You would think it would have to be quite dominant for developers to focus so much on it.
I'm surprised but at the same time not surprised.
On one hand the switch is currently the best selling console right now but on the other its the weakest one hardware wise out.
20% probably means at least a 1000 games each year. There should be a few gems in that pile somewhere.
"When asked more vaguely 'which platforms interest you as a developer right now' the result is even better, with Switch in 3rd (behind PC and PS5) on 39%."
Pretty big statistic and not bad at all.
Not surprising considering the switch likely has 1-2 years left before a successor comes out.
And still the Switch is the console with the most games.
@Lord
Let’s be honest people buy the switch for 1st party games. Not all the big third party’s. Most people probably have a Xbox/PlayStation and a switch.
@Lord "those few titles that they produce for our system"
After just adding 14 more titles to my Switch library (and eyeing at least two more, including a preorder), I can't resist a suspicion that I learned the word "few" from a different dictionary.
@blindsquarel while practically everything Nintendo is residents of my Switch wishlist, their actual presence in my collection is barely 5% or so. I can definitely say I primarily bought a Switch for third party games, big and small.
20% of Third parties understand that having a base of over 100 million gamers to sell a game to, means that it's that much easier to sell 1 million copies of a game. Depending on the price of a game, 1 million copies sold can easily net a company $20-$50 million dollars. So it's a no brainer for those willing to create a topnotch gaming experience. I would also imagine the "Switch 2" or whatever it ends up being called will be backwards compatible with the Switch so that definitely prolongs the sales life of top tier games made now.
@Lord Square Enix too.
@blindsquarel Yes. I'm thinking a Fall 2024 release for the next Ninty hardware iteration. Spring 2025 at the latest.
I will never understand some of these decisions. It’s like they’re allergic to money. Persona 3, 4 and 5 would sell like crazy on the Switch, but we get strange spin-off games only.
I mostly play first party games on switch anyways so any third party games are a bonus but not a requirement for my enjoyment of the system. I hope that 20% doesn’t take into account cloud versions of AAA games though lol
Let's face it most 3rd party games aren't going to be on switch
Was this before or after the Activision buy out? As xbox are probably higher now.
Also is 20% even something to be positive about considering half of that is probably shovelware
A bit surprising that the market leader has the smallest share. Considering pc, android and ios have such a large share I would imagine that the GDC is geared more towards indies rather then large publishers.
Most of those 3rd party developers are gonna get bought out by Microsoft anyways, so...
@blindsquarel I think this is a really good point, Nintendo hardware always sells on the merits of Nintendo software alone. Sure, people may (and often do) go on and buy plenty of other third party games, but the reason you buy the latest Nintendo console is so you can play the latest Zelda or Mario.
I think that's why Switch has done so well for itself, because Nintendo has really leaned into the 'second console' idea and effectively removed itself from competing directly with the other platforms. You don't choose between those other platforms and the Switch, you choose between any one of them in addition to a Switch.
If I recall correctly, Nintendo hardware usually does not do well in these surveys. So nothing really to see here.
If developers were on the same mindset as they were in the 7th generation, the Switch's third-party library would be very different today.
On one hand, it completely missing out on the experiences of other consoles. On the other, it means having exclusive experiences that push the console at its best, not at its hardest.
@CaptainCluck you know the persona games are the spin off
@Anguspuss
Yes, a spin-off of SMT. We get spin-offs of the spin-off.
I am a loyal Nintendo fan and console owner. I basically am a Nintendo purist. I am not blind to or impervious to confusing and frustrating decisions made by Nintendo, but I also am not so quick to pile on them when a less than positive storyline breaks.
I know many will be quick to use this as more evidence that developers don't care about Nintendo or want to make money on the best-selling system and all that. Arguments can definitely be made for those points, in some regards.
But, I think there is another way to look at this. The "current" and "future" projects percentages indicate games currently in or actively planned for development. The "interest" percentage is more of a mindset indicator. To me, these statistics read as many developers wanting to put their games on Switch but potentially being unable to, at least easily. I believe PS5 and XBox Series X use PC-like and similar components, while Nintendo generally uses more unique, proprietary hardware. There is an undeniable power gap, along with the quirky features, and it unfortunately does keep many games off of the system. Nintendo has been facing this with their systems for quite a while. The Wii was an incredible sales success but required the same concessions. I would love if developers put the resources into developing Switch-specific versions, but it probably doesn't always make much financial sense. I do think that most of them would absolutely or their games on Switch if they could; they want to reach as many households and hands as they can. But, it is much easier and cost-effective to make one version of a game that either works for multiple platforms or only requires some minor adjustments. It is a bummer, and I feel like some of them would get returns on their investments, but I fear it is something we will always be chasing as Nintendo fans. I would love to see companies develop additional games solely for the Switch or perhaps with Switch as the sort-of baseline, but I'm sure there are business reasons for why they would not. It seems like Nintendo may need to commission or partner with developers in order to get these games made.
Anyway, that was my take. I'm probably not saying anything you all don't already know.
@FlashmanHarry Because 3rd party wise it ain't a market leader.
@dil_power Oh yeah, didn't think of that. Sure hope under 1% of that 20 is for cloud games.
Time for Nintendo to start buying some companies, as that seems to be the future of video games. Get Square, Capcom and Konami. Maybe Sega. Platinum is basically a Nintendo developer, so just make it official. Heck, see how much Microsoft will sell Rare for, it's not like they are using them for much.
I kid... kind of.
The third party support for the Switch has been the best for a Nintendo console since the Super NES. Unfortunately, it's hardware is quite aged now, so that support will get weaker and weaker with time. I think there is likely 2, maybe 3 years left of good games coming to the platform, but Nintendo needs to really start thinking about their next gen console, which hopefully is a fully backward compatible Switch with better specs.
@NintendoWife That's cause a majority of modern PC games are digital only. Most charts only count physical releases as they are easier to track.
This is a concerning trend. Switch has dropped considerably in this poll from previous years. Again, proof that a "pro" or next generation model is needed soon
Anyone who’s everyone knows that the Switch is where the party’s at. #EchoChamberLogic
HAA! This reminded me of back in 2018 when the investors started backing out saying that the Switch was gonna flop because of lack of microtransactions and other money grubbing crap that investors wanted Nintendo to relinquish into. Well guess whose laughing now? The Switch is printing money AND making revolutionary history in the gaming industry!
kind of off topic but I saw some people mention it. and yeah Nintendo really needs to buy up Sega and Bandai, those two companies make so much sense for them. their IPs are great fits for Nintendo consoles and fans. I also dream of them buying Capcom which would be pretty nice as well but I don't see that happening tbh. it'd be nice tho. I just think it's time Nintendo starts snatching up some of these before it's too late.
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