The Nintendo Switch logo.

So, the Nintendo Switch has got 3rd Party Publishers signed up…

…but, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, shall we?

So, the internet is broken for me today. Everywhere I usually haunt online is talking about one thing and one thing only: the Nintendo Switch.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful that the Presidential Debate and the Kardashians are out of the way for one day.

I’ll give the Switch it’s dues – it looks darn cool, and it ticks two boxes for the adult gamer; we can play it when we get 3.5 minutes of Me-Time with the TV, or when sitting on the toilet for an extended period.

But, as I previously mentioned, I have concerns about anything Nintendo and have done since the Wii. I cannot afford to buy every console to play the good games – I can only afford one platform, and I need that platform to tick as many boxes as possible.

I game on the PC, which ticks a ton of boxes.

The Xbox One ticks a bunch of boxes.

The PlayStation 4 ticks a bunch of boxes.

Nintendo consoles usually…don’t. They have some amazing exclusives that everyone else says “man, I wish I had that on my console/PC” but aside from that, they get some shoddy ports and barely a consideration for the majority of the AAA games on the market.

switch1

This may, in part, be down to the Nintendo strategy of refusing to compete on the power of their console, but the fun of using their hardware. That is all well and good, but in my mind, I need more than ten quality Nintendo exclusives over the life of a console for it to feel like a worthwhile purchase.

Nintendo have revealed the following third party publishers have signed up to make games for the Switch:

• 505 Games
• Activision Publishing, Inc.
• ARC SYSTEM WORKS Co. Ltd.
• ATLUS CO. LTD.
• Audiokinetic Inc.
• Autodesk, Inc
• BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.
• Bethesda
• CAPCOM CO., LTD.
• Codemasters®
• CRI Middleware Co., Ltd.
• DeNA Co., Ltd.
• Electronic Arts
• Epic Games Inc.
• Firelight Technologies
• FromSoftware, Inc.
• Frozenbyte
• GameTrust
• GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE INC.
• Gungho Online Entertainment, Inc
• HAMSTER Corporation
• Havok
• Image & Form
• INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
• KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
• Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
• LEVEL-5 Inc.
• Marvelous Inc.
• Maximum Games, LLC
• Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.
• Parity Bit Inc.
• PlatinumGames Inc.
• RAD Game Tools, Inc.
• RecoChoku Co. Ltd.
• SEGA Games Co., Ltd.
• Silicon Studio Corporation
• Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd.
• SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.
• Starbreeze Studios
• Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
• Telltale Games
• THQ Nordic
• Tokyo RPG Factory Co., Ltd.
• TT Games
• UBISOFT
• Ubitus Inc.
• Unity Technologies, Inc.
• Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Web Technology Corp.

On paper, that looks impressive, but that doesn’t mean the Switch is going to get the blockbuster titles ported — if it even has the hardware to power them in the first place).

Bethesda is on the list, which could mean some fantastic ports in the future. Or, it could just mean Skyrim, as shown in the official release video. Y’know, Skyrim? Released in 2011? On the 360? Nintendo customers deserve more than that, even a slightly remastered version – they are worthy of a console capable of playing any game made by Bethesda.

nintendo-switch-skyrim

And, where are Rockstar? I can understand that Nintendo want to have a family friendly image, but Grand Theft Auto has been such a huge success, and their fans should have the option to play something with an age rating slapped on it. And, what about Red Dead Redemption 2? Will those who buy the Switch ever have the chance to play it?

I know I sound like a Nintendo hater, but I’m not – I’m just a skeptic. I grew up with Nintendo, from the NES to the SNES, to the N64 to the Gamecube, plus a ton of Gameboys through the years. Nintendo has a special place in my heart, but that doesn’t mean I can justify dropping a few hundred pounds on their console for barely a handful of decent exclusive games. I’m sorry.

I WANT the Switch to be good. Actually, no, I want the Switch to be INCREDIBLE! I want it to be the Console that finally gets me away from my computer monitor and makes me want to fight my wife and daughter for the TV with a credit card and a packet of Haribo. But, I’m not sold yet.

Nintendo, please, please, PLEASE make this awesome. I’ll love you forever.