So our good old SuperMetalDave64 interviewed Brjann Sigurgeirsson, CEO of Image & Form (the studio behind SteamWorld Dig and SteamWorld Heist). The video is 1h30 but the actual Nintendo Switch discussion begins after 36 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a8mPecHpSc
Here's what I thought were points worth discussing :
- It's Nintendo who actually approached them to ask them if they wanted to develop games on Switch, and gave them a devkit.
- The Image & Form CEO speaks about how tight the NDA was, and how they "absolutely couldn't talk about it".
- Not the whole team was disclosed to work on the console, they have a special room for the allowed developpers.
- They're effectively working on a "project" they don't want to talk about it because they feel like they announced Steamworld Heist too early.
- They also don't feel like making sequels, they prefer to make something new every time.
- The Image & Form CEO was worried about how they would sell the concept in the reveal trailer, but ended relieved as he really liked the video.
- The Switch is qualified as a "straightful" development system, opposed to all the problems they had on Wii U with Unity. He talks about how easier it is to work with it.
- He said that right now the most exciting thing about the Switch is how "they haven't really mentionned everything"
- He talks about how they had to develop games "for the 3DS" (by that he means that they couldn't make games for HD systems and then scale down, because of how weak the 3DS is) and now they're relieved it's not a weak-ass system anymore.
Now let me remind you that "SteamWorld Quest" kinda leaked a few months ago and that it has a high chance to be the next iteration of the SteamWorld univese.
Overall they seems pretty excited to work on the Switch, and they are one of the first indie devs (and one of the first europeans devs) to have a devkit.