The Switch 2 is coming and with it, a whole bunch of optimism about the future of the video games industry. It’s likely unfair (and poorly calculated) to pin an entire industry’s growth on one platform, but it’s undoubtedly true that new interest in Nintendo Switch will breathe new life into gaming - even across seemingly unrelated new areas.
But what does Switch 2 mean for your indie game? Is it simply a new channel on which to market and sell the game, or does it mean a shift in the landscape as a whole?
Shovel(ware) Knight
The Nintendo Switch console catalogue has expanded exponentially since its 2017 launch, growing from around 1,000 titles in its first year to a projected 27,000 within the lifespan of the platform. The console boasts games for most demographics with mini puzzlers and the equivalent of app games, all the way up to some of the latest AAA blockbusters.
Gross eShop Titles by Year
It’s fair to say we’ve seen an unwelcome number of shovelware and re-releases added in recent years - games with little valuable content, seemingly AI generated art and limited gameplay, bringing criticism to Nintendo’s previously championed ‘Nintendo Seal of Quality’ that limited only the best third party titles to access its platforms. Going forwards and with increased criticism for the current ‘anything goes’ approach, It’s understandable to expect we will see a more curated strategy to games arriving specifically for Switch 2.
Incremental Progress
Nintendo has promised that the new games console will be backwards compatible, running all previous Nintendo titles, so don’t expect the shovelware to disappear, but a new classing system - similar to PlayStation Store’s PS4 and PS5 badges - will likely be Nintendo’s preferred route to differentiate wheat from chaff.
Will Nintendo adopt the dual badge approach?
How about new hardware? The Nintendo Switch 2 is rumoured to be running a modified NVIDIA 2022/23 Tegra Orin T239 chip with 1,536 CUDA cores and 256 shader cores. Increasing the GPU from 900MHz to up to 1.6GHz along with a jump in memory from 64-bit to 128bit and the addition of ray tracing functionality, the Switch 2 will be equivalent to last generation’s lounge consoles, but with the noticeable differentiator - portability.
Shift in Power
This jump in power from the original Switch means new games, titles that were previously unable to run on the first generation hardware may now be remastered, or developed fresh for the new handheld, tilting the balance of power back into the hands of more premium games and away from the low-quality filler apps.
What does this mean for your video game?
A focus on quality. Your indie game needs to deliver a high quality experience, whether that’s in a 3D fully-rendered, ray traced environment - or a 2D, top-down, pixel-art adventure. The focus will be on the quality of the game you are shipping and your marketing materials will need to demonstrate that fact, one way or another.
We suggest developing a strong vertical slice, playable with influencers ahead of launch alongside an attractive press kit and PR strategy. I remember the launch of the original 2017 and the rush to be the first to get games on the platform. Seemingly every game we launched on Switch turned to gold. Don’t expect the same to happen this time around as being the first to the party won’t guarantee success. Put your best foot forward and do NOT trust your launch to luck, expecting Switch 2 to be a goldmine. A failure to plan is a plan to fail.
Learn more about how I can help guide your launch on Switch 2. Set up a call.