Dev: Switch Easiest to Work With, Nintendo Has Done a Total 180 to Overtake Sony for Releasing Games

Joe Y writes: Game director, Luc Bernard, had some good things to say about developing for Nintendo Switch and is very happy with how they treat indie devs now as of the Switch.

[Geobros]

I thought that Switch was the most complicated console for developers. Nice to hear it....

[Neonridr]

I think the person was strictly speaking about how Nintendo goes about working with these indie devs. Not that the console itself is easy to develop for.

[bow2yoda]

the switch emulates x86 instruction sets. therefore making ports or ps4 and xbone games is easy.. that being said the dev board for the tegra line is called jasper and is quite well documented.

[DarXyde]

"No its easy. The only things developers have to do is code their games differently sinve x86 is not supported"

So when's your game coming out? Easy, yeah?

[Babadook7]

Easiest? No. But it’s great one Dev thinks so.

[Neonridr]

Oh I am not saying it's not easy. I just think that this article is specifically referring to how easy it is to work WITH Nintendo.

[Casepb]

For realz? Do you seriously think there would already be 1000 indie games if it was? I almost wish it was...

[AizenSosuke]

Switch is the real sony competitor rn

[Gaming4Life1981]

I like the switch for its portable feature but it's not a competitor for Sony or MS. I give them credit for stepping up slightly but the switch is not on the same level as the other companies. I own all the best switch games and their great but there's tons more great games on xbox and ps that's not on the switch.

[King_Noctis]

They all are flagship gaming consoles being sold on the market ,so yes, they are competitors. Unless you want to compare the Switch to mobile phone or tablet, which still make no sense.

[purple101]

Well switch ourselves proximity 20 million and PS4 has sold proximately 80 million. so I don't really think there's much competition PlayStation is in a class of its own at the moment everybody knows it there is no discussion really I don't know why people keep going on about it.

[EddieNX]

The PS4 came out years earlier so sales comparisons are useless unless they're within the same time frame.

[Skankinruby]

Obvious response, and a reasonable one. Although there's no denying that ps4 even at 4 years old has still outsold switch just in the time switch has been on the market.

[TekoIie]

@skankinruby

Yes, but when we look at sales in the same timeframe from launch it shows that the PS4 is only 2 mil ahead. So the Switch has done very well considering the scepticism. If the PS4 and Xbox One were coming up to their second year and only had a 2 mil gap in sales would we be calling the Xbox One a failure? I don't think so.

Obviously, we don't know what is going to happen to the Switch later in its life and I'm still sticking to my prediction of 60-70 million units sold for its total life cycle. We'll see what the future holds.

[InKnight7s]

But your beloved CEO said he isn't even competing with any other consoles.

However, at same periods PS4 still selling better although there is a head competitor launched alonged with which js X1!!

Whereas Switch is not competing anything(again according to USA CEO) and launched in mid gen.

[TekoIie]

@Inkight7s

Congratulations! You proved you didn't click the article because he actually called MS and Sony "direct competition".

Also Reggie is the COO of Nintendo. If you're going to make a desperate attempt to look clever atleast try to be informed on what his job title is.

Next time you see an article on the front-page have a go at actually reading more than just the title.

[Seraphim]

I find it hard to call it a competition when Nintendo released the WiiU then jumped onto the Switch mid gen. The Switch is going to be around mid-late PS4/XB gen and early PS5/Next XB gen. Not during your traditional generation where all 3 consoles drop w/in approx 1 year of each other. So no, there's really no competition.

As for the subject at hand. Seems a lot of what's on the Nintendo store are indies and shovelware. Not to say they don't have some great games and great indies because they do. But it's quickly being convoluted with rubbish. Though unfortunately it seems any [seemingly] popular console gets this treatment.

[Sirk7x]

Having handheld indies is definitely amazing though. Laying in bed, snacks, lights off, headphones on. It's awesome.

[darthv72]

Switch was not mid gen. WiiU had a full cycle. Nintendo has a 5yr console cycle on average. WiiU came out in 2012 and Switch came out in 2017. Despite what many think, that is on par with how Nintendo does things.

Sony has added a year to each cycle since the PS2. PS1-PS2 was 5 years. PS2-PS3 was 6 and PS3-PS4 was 7. MS is also on their own schedule. Xbox-360 was 4 while 360-XB1 was 8. XB1-XB2 is going to be 7 or 8 so expect to see the next XB in 2020 or 2021. You could look at the mid gen units from Sony and MS as a means to extend their cycles but even that we are still looking at the 7 maybe 8 year cycle.

Pro came out at the 3 year mark and X came out at 4 with Sony likely to bring the PS5 in 2019/20 which is 6/7 years after the initial PS4.

[Neonridr]

@darthv72 - the whole next-gen, mid-gen crap is thrown out the window now. Sony and MS set a new precedent with these refresher consoles. The performance boost between the X1X and the base X1 exceeds the performance boost between the Switch and the Wii U, but yet the X1X isn't new because it still plays the same games. If the Switch was fully backwards compatible with the Wii U would you argue that it wasn't a new console and just a refresh as well?

[darthv72]

@neon, if the Switch was an enhanced wiiu and did not play its own games but still the same games the wiiu would also play then yes... it would be a mid gen refresh. But it doesnt so it's not.

Both Pro and X are capable of getting their own games that would not be playable on the base units but they are purposely capped at remaining within the same generation. Sony will release the PS5 first and I have a feeling that once that is done then MS 'may' (not guaranteed) relinquish the control of the X to be attached at the hip to the base unit and allow for it to get its own games in the interim while MS works to release a proper next gen followup.

[Neonridr]

in the same timeframe they have sold the same amounts though. So how is that not competition?

[Sm00thNinja]

Is the switch considered a direct competitor to the Xbox and PlayStation 4? Will it be a direct competitor to the next Xbox and PS5? I've always been in between on this... What was the Wii U?

Anyways good to hear it but the shop is being loaded with shovelware. So while this may be true I'm not sure it's all a good thing.

[ninsigma]

To me, whatever is the latest competes with whatever is everyone else's latest. So wii and then wii u competed with ps360. Wii u also competed with ps4 and xb1 and now switch is competing against those. When the next ps and xb consoles are released, the switch will then compete with them, assuming there's no new Nintendo console before that happens. That's how it goes in my head anyway.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

It's a good question that a lot of people have different answers for. I always thought it to be confusing that they call Switch a 9th generation system just because it was next after Wii U. Kind of ignores the fact that it released right in the middle of this generation that still is current. Does it make it next gen just because a company releases a successor, period? If the Wii U hadn't failed so hard, Switch wouldn't exist, not yet. So I dunno.

[paintedgamer1984]

Exactly... even Nintendo has stated the wiiu was basically the precurser of the switch. I consider the switch a mid gen console because technically, all games that run on the switch could run on the wiiu. Look at how great botw ran on the wiiu. If they could get that game running on the wiiu surely could all the others. Just like with ps4/ps4 pro

[Neonridr]

I mean the Switch would have come this year if not for the failure of the Wii U. On average, it's a 5 year cycle for Nintendo, so November 2017 would have been 5 years for the Wii U. So it's not like Nintendo rushed this product by several years necessarily.

[darthv72]

generations are not defined by specs, they are defined by time. Some systems may overlap other gens but they actually fall within a specific one in terms of parent company release.

Nintendo is on their 9th gen with Switch while WiiU being the 8th, Wii the 7th and so forth. They wont likely release their 10th gen until 2022-2024. Nintendo has an average of 5-6 years. Only one company has ever released two systems within the same generation and that was Atari with the 2600 and the 5200 (both in 2nd gen). The 7800 could have fit in there as well but instead was released in the 3rd.

[Sm00thNinja]

All of these are good answers. I think the biggest takeaway is the Switch is a product of the WiiUs failure.

[paintedgamer1984]

Agreed, and games that were most likely slated for the wiiu initially got postponed or skipped the wiiu all together so the switch could have a stellar 1st year.

[Sm00thNinja]

@painted gamer so the Switch is basically Nintendo's Xbox One X or PS4 PRO. I've never considered it like that it's the first time I've heard it and it's an interesting argument to make! I could definitely see that being the case now

[Sm00thNinja]

That doesn't make this any less true in a sense. Id definitely say it's a new generation console, but the system came about because the Wii U was a total failure. In truth they aren't that far removed from each other. The concept is the same but obviously to a greater degree. On paper it's a next generation console.... To some degree. But it's definitely an evolution of the Wii U.

I think to THINK of it as a mid gen upgrade is understandable. I wonder if this is the route Nintendo will pursue in the future. Like will there be a Switch 2? Will there be another handheld down the road and can they continue to coexist ?? Interesting questions

[kevinsheeks]

That's good I like to think sony played a part in this happening, when the ps4 was first announced sony was using it's platform to give these smaller titles a bigger push. This is what happens when you have a good company leading the charge others have to follow suit or get left behind.

[Baza]

Nintendo needs 3rd party support very badly. Of course they are going to let them do whatever they want.

[King_Noctis]

Well isn’t that a good thing? The more game release on the console the better IMO. Unless, of course, those games are straight up trolling like some games on Steam.

[Pedantic91]

Hmmm.

Wonder if the large amount of 1st party, exclusives and 3rd party multiplatform games might have something to do with that.

I believe once the Switch gains an even larger user base, more 1st party and multi games roll out on the Switch on a more shorter and timely fashion, indie games might slowdown on the Switch as well.

Not trying to downplay the indie games at all, it's great that they've found a loyal platform that buy their games and indies are perfect fit on the Switch due to it's portable design. However, i remember the same things used to be said about the PS4/XO early on until the heavy hitters came out.

Sony and Microsoft usually have their indie and third party reel on major events to showcase indies games so it's not like Sony/Microsoft has forgotten them, they're simply trying balance things out between adverts for the next major game release or gameplay showcases for larger 1st/3rd party games that have been announced but have yet to reveal any actual gameplay (FF7:RE, nioh 2, Medievil, SMTV, Project Prelude Rune to name a few and many more)

[Skankinruby]

Lol just commend Nintendo on the job they've done, and good for them. But stop with the 'overtake sony' nonsense. Nintendo isn't outdoing sony in any way at all, and they're not even direct competition anyway so the comparisons don't mean much.

[TekoIie]

"Nintendo isn't outdoing sony in any way at all, and they're not even direct competition anyway so the comparisons don't mean much."

Except that's pretty much what the dev says in the article:

"Nintendo has done a complete [180]. They’re pretty much how Sony was years ago. Sony was at the height of the indie scene and now it’s become kind of Nintendo who’s like that.”

He then continued, “Now I know how to work with [all of them], but PlayStation isn’t as user-friendly. That’s the most I’ll say.”

Should we just sugar coat it? Sony was very good with Indies for their launch but its clear their shift focussed later into current gen.

[jznrpg]

There are plenty of indies on PS4 but maybe they are being more selective and that is fine with me. Switch has a ton of indies but quantity doesn’t mean quality. Also they NEED the indies since they are not releasing much during the year . Indies are cool and all but I didn’t buy it for them. I want more games like Octopath, Xenoblade etc

[bumbleforce]

Ya its easy to release games from last gen

[jznrpg]

Indie games sure. There’s a stupid amount of them on Switch now . Not that Sony doesn’t have a lot too but they don’t rely on them nearly as much as Nintendo does

[King_Noctis]

I doubt people buy the Switch for indies game.

[ChasingTheSun]

It's all they have when it comes to 3rd party support, so why not embrace the indies.

[Vizigoth04]

I could see this being the truth. This gen Sony has sunk their strength into their 1ST party studios and have, by the numbers produced, accomplished their goals. And I guarantee they are busy getting started on PS5 projects. Because you hear about this side of the coin and on another you have to look at Marvel and Insomniac as prime examples. But Sony is on a much higher pedestal right now as well. I can see them being more Inde friendly if and when their 1st party starts to thin out again.

[paintedgamer1984]

The very fact Sonys console from 2013 still outsells Nintendos cheaper newer console speaks volumes. Sure, i bet it is easy for an indie dev to make a cartoon type game run on the switch. Id love to see this dev say the same thing if say they were trying to make Red Dead Redemtion 2 or any other graphical power house this or the last few years run on the switch. I gurantee he would be singing a different tune. Theres a reason this dev isnt making stellar AAA 3rd party games, and it isnt because "PlayStation isn’t as user-friendly".

"They’re pretty much how Sony was years ago. Sony was at the height of the indie scene and now it’s become kind of Nintendo who’s like that.”

Kind of? Thats one hell of a lie. I dont see Nintendo adding switch and indie games every month to their online service like Sony does with ps+. The switch is basically a portable older 1st/3rd party remaster, indie, machine with 1st party games sprinkled here and there.

[King_Noctis]

“The very fact Sonys console from 2013 still outsells Nintendos cheaper newer console speaks volumes”

Last time I check, the base PS4 and the Switch cost the same.

“The switch is basically a portable older 1st/3rd party remaster, indie, machine with 1st party games sprinkled here and there”

You are so misinformed that I don’t even know where to start with this.

[paintedgamer1984]

It didnt cost the same when they launched. Had the ps4 been 299 like the switch was when it released, the ps4 would have completly outsold it. Now that they are both 299 it still outsells it. The ps4 will see pricedrops this holiday across all versions of the ps4 while the switch will still be 299. I doubt nintendo will even do a bundle for 299 with a game even for black friday. They are too damn greedy. Its still crazy a 2013 console is still outselling a newer nintendo machine in 2018... thats insain no matter how you spin it.

[Garrett_the_GOD]

This is a great thing for Nintendo..they get very few of the big budget AAA multiplats that come to PS4,Xbox One and PC..if it wasnt for indies I would've probably sold my Switch a lomg time ago..Nintendo makes great first party games too but they are few and far between and as much as I do appreciate the WiiU ports it is a major disappointment these last gen ports are releasing with a $60 price tag..Donkey Kong Country:Tropical Freeze and Mario Kart 8 should've been no more than $30 a piece..Zelda:BOTW should be marked down to atleast $30 by now as well but we all know how much Nintendo hates slashing prices on old games

[Silly gameAr]

Bu, bu,but, mines bigger.

[Benjaminkno]

I love the Trollfans or Fantrolls..

Let’s not act like Sony has any idea what they’re doing with handhelds even though they bowed out a long ago.

[Benjaminkno]

15 minute edits.. that’s nice to know now

[chris235]

the switch is an indie hub. i just wish they would stay exclusive to this subpar gadget so the psn doesnt get so much garbage.

[milohighclub]

My main issue with the switch is games. Not enough decent ones and the store is littered with games that are free on Android but have a premium charge for the switch