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Can the Switch buck the trend and be a successful environment for Western 3rd parties

zelas

Member
If 3rd Partys would help to make the Nintendo Switch a success with awesome games, than they get a system with customers who buy their games ;)

I hope everyone understands what I mean, it's also in 3rd Partys hands if they can make money from customers of the Nintendo Switch ;)

But they need to support the Nintendo Switch as soon as possible, and don't make heartless ports, and release the games with all the love the other console versions get ;)

For that to happen Nintendo needs to step up help make those beginning efforts worthwhile for publishers. Generation after generation we've seen what happens when third parties put their necks out on the line with no help from Nintendo. The hole gets deeper each gen, requiring even more support from Nintendo than what was required before.
 
So far? Poorly.

Dragon Quest Heroes 2 comparison.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhM2LishpXc

Not only 30fps vs 60 for the others, but also looks quite poor as well.

DQH2 is one bad example (and not even AAA). But there are other ports like Snake Pass who look very well in comparison, or Lego City (at the moment probably the biggest third party game available for Switch), that performs as good as PS4/Xone, has even some advantages (higher resolution) to the XOne version.

Even the Wii got ports of CoD & Co, despite ports has been hard to make. Ports to Switch are easy for most games. If the Switch continues to be successful we will probably see a flood of third party games in 2018.
 

ZehDon

Member
Not really. The hardware difference in terms of sheer processing power means a lot of games are simply not possible without massive changes across the entire breadth of development. No one is going to do that that kind of work to release poorer versions of their games for a platform holder whose platforms are graveyards for 3rd parties. The Switch will get some token support, with titles like Skyrim and some other 360 ports. After the first year, Nintendo will be carrying the Switch on their own.
 

Moneal

Member
Most 3rd party west AAA pubs only see Nintendo consoles selling kids games and first party games. Nintendo would have to moneyhat one or two AAA same day ports, and those sell well, to gain western AAA support. They seem to feel burned by either Nintendo or its fans. WiiU had AAA games at launch and they bombed. I think it is more on the Nintendo fans. There is a atmosphere around Nintendo consoles as only for exclusives, or its a secondary console. This seems partly due to Nintendo not being on a similar console release schedule as the others, people already have another console for 3rd party games. It might also be power related(Why buy the least pretty or worse performing version).
 
Outside of indies, family IPs, and the occasional AA game? Nope, not with that hardware, limited storage, and infrastructure (they don't even have the online structure for the system fully set up). The AAA games that will be fully multiplatform (PS4/XBO/NSW) I think will be the exception rather than the rule.
 
Outside of indies, family IPs, and the occasional AA game? Nope, not with that hardware, limited storage, and infrastructure (they don't even have the online structure for the system fully set up). The AAA games that will be fully multi platform I think will be the exception rather than the rule.

And then, I wonder how many people will buy the Switch version over PS4/XB1/PC....
 

Jubenhimer

Member
I think the Switch has the best chance for Nintendo to make good with western 3rd parties. The Wii had quite a lot of support from western 3rd parties. But much of it was in the form of shovel-ware, or party games. Nintendo provided western developers an opportunity with the Wii thanks to it's cheap development costs allowing them to use it as a support structure to help them make HD games. The problem was that the likes of EA and Ubisoft didn't take advantage of this in any meaningful way. They just saw the Wii as a dumping ground for shoddy ports and minigame collections that they could use to make "Real Games for Real Gamers on Real Systems". Nintendo did all they could to make the Wii developer friendly, but western developers were just stuck on their juvenile "herp a derp, we only make hardcore games for real gamers" phase. The Wii U was what really damaged Nintendo's reputation with developers as it was needlessly complicated and hard to develop for, and it's poor sales simply made the effort to support it not worth it for many companies. Nintendo made too many mistakes with the Wii U, and they suffered because of it.

Times are different today. Developers are more mature, and more willing to explore the market. And the Switch is a very easy and cheap system to develop for. Even if you can't port every PS4 game to it, you can at least get a lot of games running on it with no problem. Plus Nintendo's successful marketing campaign and sales means developers would be more willing to take an interest in the Switch than they ever would with the Wii U. So, I think the Switch can get a lot of western developers on board if it keeps up momentum.

Also to those who say "It won't get third parties because it's weak". Remember that the Switch comes support for nearly every modern engine under the sun. If developers can make Nvidia Shield versions of their games, then they can make Switch versions. As long as your console is easy to develop for, then there should be no problems downscaling it.
 

night814

Member
They should really consider giving it a shot. Put a lot into a port effort and fans will applaud it. The problem is that this doesn't always happen and devs point at poor/unoptimized ports that didn't sell as a reason to not develop on a platform anymore. Unprecedented partnerships end when a publisher releases 12 games and one is recognized as being a good port, need for speed, and even that didn't move a lot of units. If a few top devs took some of their best games and gave us really good switch versions they would get mad high fives, and at this point in time at least move a good amount and get good press for a good job.
 

Calm Mind

Member
I don't like to portbeg or go off topic but the lack of CoD on the platform is one of the biggest mistakes Activision has made since Tony Hawk 5.

They believed people wanted Skylanders. The Western 3rd parties are more out of touch than I thought.
 
I don't like to portbeg or go off topic but the lack of CoD on the platform is one of the biggest mistakes Activision has made since Tony Hawk 5.

They believed people wanted Skylanders. The Western 3rd parties are more out of touch than I thought.

Skylanders is on the Switch because they still make a last generation version of it. There is no last gen version of WWII.
 

Moneal

Member
I don't like to portbeg or go off topic but the lack of CoD on the platform is one of the biggest mistakes Activision has made since Tony Hawk 5.

They believed people wanted Skylanders. The Western 3rd parties are more out of touch than I thought.
How did the last cod on Nintendo console sell compared to skylanders? Only number I could find is kotaku reporting cod bops2 selling 23k its first month on wiiu(NPD) heard from insiders, though unconfirmed by NPD. I would bet skylanders did far better, especially since Activision kept putting them out on wiiu.
 

levyjl1988

Banned
I'm hoping Skyrim on Switch is a success (and I truly believe it shall be so) for that may cause the Western giants to consider giving the platform more serious support.

Skyrim with motion controls on the Switch would be amazing if done right.
I mean they did attempt something innovative with the Kinect when it launched for the 360.
I would love to swing my sword and bas my shield with the joycons.
 

massoluk

Banned
I feel like Western Dev should perhaps gauge the demand for local multiplayer of their mainstay AAA shooters. The tech is here, now
 
I think, as funny as it is, Skyrim, a old game, will surprise people in sales and have 3rd parties re-evaluating their games. Skyrim will fill a fairly big void on the system, especially those people who still have the open world itch and loved BotW.

If Skyrim is a success (and I hope it is because portable Skyrim sounds awesome), it'll mean Oblivion comes to Switch, not Elder Scrolls 6.

There's going to be a huge gap between Xbox One and Scorpio as it is. Paring their engine back to Switch will be asking too much.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
If what your asking is if people will drop PS4 and Xbox One to play their blockbuster AAA titles on Switch, of course not.

But that doesn't mean Switch can't find a decent niche of its own for certain bigger western third party titles that it gets. Wii COD's sold decently well, even if nowhere near the same scale of the HD twins.
 

Crayon

Member
I'm of the mind that you can port most if not all console games to the switch. Nintendo's has been showing signs of attitude adjustment. Now the online service and store has to be worthy of supporting gaas when it shows up. And Skyrim has to do pretty good.

So if all that goes good, you can get major 3rd party support that will be much better than the wii and wii u. Probably not achieve parity with the ps4 in the span of his generation. But it would at least be on the way.

edit: Hey I heard Basch Vom Fostenberg is alive.
 

pixelation

Member
Not with those tech specs it won't. The XBO has issues running some games (resolution, etc) now imagine how they'd run on the Switch... if at all.
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
Aka, pandering to the lowest common denominator.

If that's the case, Sony was pandering since the beginning. But they did what they needed to do to succeed in the broader industry.

If you think Nintendo's standards are too high to bargain with third parties, your the problem with Nintendo's position at this point.
 

_Clash_

Member
No but also AAA games feel like an increasingly small part of the picture

I agree, I'm increasingly not giving a shit about what western AAA is putting up

I do feel Switch will get some downports but feel spin-offs that utilise joy cons and local co op may be a smarter move
 
If Skyrim is a success (and I hope it is because portable Skyrim sounds awesome), it'll mean Oblivion comes to Switch, not Elder Scrolls 6.

There's going to be a huge gap between Xbox One and Scorpio as it is. Paring their engine back to Switch will be asking too much.


$$$


If the money is there the games will come. Oblivion, Fallout 4, Fallout collection, Elders Scroll VI, or Doom it doesn't matter. If Skyrim sells good to great it'll crack open the flood gates.

I'm buying Skyrim for the Switch day one and I hope it sells outstandingly well on the Switch. Part of me feels like Skyrim selling well or not on the Switch will make or break it's western 3rd party support.
 

TheFatMan

Member
Aka, pandering to the lowest common denominator.

What an insulting post......

If pandering to the lowest common demonimator gets me Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4, The Last of the Us, Bloodborne, The Last Guardian and God of War then pander away Nintendo....

Seriously, what a ridiculous post.

And yes I know those games aren't third party. But I'm trying to say you can allow third party AAA games and still make quality 1st party studio games.
 
$$$


If the money is there the games will come. Oblivion, Fallout 4, Fallout collection, Elders Scroll VI, or Doom it doesn't matter. If Skyrim sells good to great it'll crack open the flood gates.

I'm buying Skyrim for the Switch day one and I hope it sells outstandingly well on the Switch. Part of me feels like Skyrim selling well or not on the Switch will make or break it's western 3rd party support.

We've already seen this movie. Wii was a sales sensation beyond PS3 and Xbox 360. It didn't get GTA 4.

Aka, pandering to the lowest common denominator.

Are you sure you actually like videogames?
 

Jubenhimer

Member
We've already seen this movie. Wii was a sales sensation beyond PS3 and Xbox 360. It didn't get GTA 4.

While the Switch won't be able to get every multiplatform title, it's more than possible for it to get ports of lower taxing games. As well as "Gaiden games" of sorts, which use down-scaled assets for completely new games. As long as the user-base is there, developers will make something for the Switch.
 

Peru

Member
I said before launch the Switch concept ensured success regardless of Western 3rd party support. Some were obsessed with this being the key to success, but I think we're seeing proof now it's not so.

What we're also seeing and likely to be seeing is that certain Japanese 3rd party games may live well on the Switch, better than on the XBPS4. But it's still not the machine for CoDs and Battlefields and won't be. Ever. Regardless of success. But it doesn't need it and never aimed for it anyway.
 

18-Volt

Member
No but also AAA games feel like an increasingly small part of the picture

That's true and non-FPS AAA games are becoming the really small part of all AAA games. As FPS genre is getting bigger and bigger everything else look irrelevant. We had a year without an Assassin's Creed and no one cared.
 
It's not really a test because it's last generation port. Unless we're just talking about the platform getting more games that could be a decade or half a decade old by the time they release on it.

No :) I really don't want to attack you, but this is a great example of what I mean ;)

3rd Partys releasing an ass old game for the Nintendo Switch. Than the game doesn't sell because everyone played it already on other systems. And than 3rd Partys complaining that 3rd Party games don't sell on the Nintendo Switch ;)

It's the same old story I know from the Nintendo Wii U ;)

Edit: That's one reason why everyone thinks that 3rd Party games doesn't sell on Nintendo Systems ;)

I'm talking about the platform getting Western 3rd party games at all. Sure, Skyrim selling good doesn't guarantee we'll get more. But I don't think other Western 3rd parties will try if Skyrim bombs.

I do feel like this is the best chance of getting 3rd party support Nintendo has had since the SNES. Unlike the N64, discs aren't the hot new product that everyone is desperate to use, and we don't have relationship-destroying "RPGs are for basement dwelling nerds" Yamauchi in charge (I'll admit I was reaching for this one). Unlike the Wii, the standard input device closely resembles a more traditional controller. Unlike the GameCube and Wii U, the Switch actually seems to be selling. Plus, portability gives this system a big selling point beyond "Nintendo games" (which I think is something previous Nintendo consoles lacked). I believe being able to play the game anywhere is a compelling argument for buying games on the Switch over other consoles ( http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1363249 ), and even repurchasing games you've played elsewhere, even if it isn't as powerful.

Also, I'm well aware of late ports (especially charging full price for them), ports not including all the game modes that are present on other consoles, not bringing over the DLC, porting the 3rd game in a trilogy while competing consoles get the trilogy pack but pricing both the same, all that garbage. That's why I usually do end up buying third party games elsewhere. Companies will need to cut all that out if they want their games to sell on Nintendo consoles.
 

XINTSUAI

Neo Member
I believe that Switch will be most likely as a Nintendo Vita, will have Nintendo games + indies + some multplatforms AA. But I don't see any western AAA third party making its way to the platform.

Maybe we'll see a call of duty port made by some tiny studio, and things like that.
 
I'd rather they just make games tailored to the Switch.

What does this even mean? Like that shitty Dead Space on rails game for Wii compared to the actual TPS Dead Space on PS360?

Switch doesn't need games tailored to it. It has a regular controller that can handle the real versions of third party games.
 

sense

Member
I don't like to portbeg or go off topic but the lack of CoD on the platform is one of the biggest mistakes Activision has made since Tony Hawk 5.

They believed people wanted Skylanders. The Western 3rd parties are more out of touch than I thought.

If you sit down and think about it you will know exactly why cod is not on the platform. Switch is cartridge based with storage issues, without a robust online service that is conducive to providing regular updates, dlc, booster packs, loot boxes, party chat/friends ecosystem etc... needs to have a separate team dedicated to make a watered down port, where the previous effort on Wii U bombed and probably a money sink and you think they made a mistake......
 

120v

Member
i don't think we're looking at a western 3rd party renaissance or anything but they'll be more inclined to prioritize development for it. it's not like wii where like 90% of people are buying it for wii sports and Just Dance
 

Teletraan1

Banned
I think the portability, or ability to play game x on the go is often overblown here on this site. I have rarely ever seen anyone using a DS, PSP, Vita or 3DS out in public places that doesn't involve a commute. Most people playing portable games in public are doing so on a phone with a bunch of inexpensive time waster software. The flow of traditional AAA doesn't really mesh well with portable gaming which is better suited to bite size chunks. This is obviously reflected in the design of many portable games. I don't really care for those experiences and hope that they stay out of the Nintendo franchises I like. I already feel like at some point during BotW's development they knew that it was going to be a switch game and the bite-sized shrines are a purposeful result of catering to that design ethos. I got serious fatigue around shrine 60 or so. Never got bored with traditional meaty dungeons in any Zelda prior.
Sony tried traditional console gaming on the go years ago and was met with a pretty big collective meh. Plenty of third party pubs put out these types of games on psp and it didn't really work. I doubt they are enthusiastic about trying again with Nintendo of all platform holders.
I think the switch will end up with a great library of Nintendo first party, Indie games, 3DS successor games but people should slow expectations of AAA appearing in any meaningful way on the system.
 

Dynheart

Banned
I believe Nintendo is only going to get 1st party, indies, and Japanese 3rd party support. Western 3rd party support, the support that only really matters for some reason, will be where Nintendo falls short.

I feel this will be Nintendo's short coming for decades to come. Developers are not going to want to take a chance, as will the publishers. A fan base that is already dedicated to one eco-system is not going to jump ship. These people will invest in a Nintendo console for Nintendo games, and then get the indie games, and Japanese 3rd party support for their console of choice, if at all else for trophies alone.

The market it where it is, and unless a company takes themselves out of business, the market share probably will not change much either (even though the Switch is selling right now).
 

Moneal

Member
i don't think we're looking at a western 3rd party renaissance or anything but they'll be more inclined to prioritize development for it. it's not like wii where like 90% of people are buying it for wii sports and Just Dance
No, but I do see a majority just buying first party, japan exclusives, and portable indies. I don't know if there is any demand for western AAA games on Nintendo consoles anymore. I think most are fine with them as a second system, or Nintendo only fans. I also think the big western pubs have seen this as well, with wii u game sales.
 
Not in the AAA space. Developers and publishers aren't chasing the same thing Nintendo insist on chasing. Nintendo are unwilling to get into an arms race with Sony and Microsoft. AAA developers are pushing hardware limits. Nintendo aren't. It's two different philosophies and they're not compatible. Even when the Wii was selling ridiculous numbers, developers didn't want to step back and it's the same here.
 

Calm Mind

Member
If you sit down and think about it you will know exactly why cod is not on the platform. Switch is cartridge based with storage issues, without a robust online service that is conducive to providing regular updates, dlc, booster packs, loot boxes, party chat/friends ecosystem etc... needs to have a separate team dedicated to make a watered down port, where the previous effort on Wii U bombed and probably a money sink and you think they made a mistake......

Am I looking into the past? The reads like a post from 2007.
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
For the ones that don't rely on cutting edge graphics? Sure. I don't see Minecraft, Rocket League, Fifa or Overwatch wouldn't perform well on Switch if they got good versions with all the features.

For the high end stuff it probably depends more on the genre and how much the Switch version would have to sacrifice in order to run.
 
The Switch is missing a lot of important features and the social environment for multiplayer games. Playing online on the Switch has not been a very good experience comparative to other platforms.

Everything related to online capabilities has been... well frankly, a shit show.

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my switch for SP and local MP games, but that's not what I'd call a key focus for western developers.
 

Jubenhimer

Member
The Switch is missing a lot of important features and the social environment for multiplayer games. Playing online on the Switch has not been a very good experience comparative to other platforms.

Everything related to online capabilities has been... well frankly, a shit show.

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my switch for SP and local MP games, but that's not what I'd call a key focus for western developers.

Too early to call this since we don't know what exactly the full service will be like.
 
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