The popular annual Game Developer Conference, hosted over February and March, is fast approaching but an interesting survey is making its rounds on the web. Statistics from the fifth annual Game Developers Conference State of the Industry Survey have surfaced and the Nintendo Switch seems to be accumulating some undeniable industry significance.
It’s worth noting that over 4,500 game developers completed the survey.
I’ve included the results from the survey below:
Although 3% doesn’t seem like a huge figure, remember the console hasn’t even been released (let alone unveiled) yet. For contrast, the Nintendo 3DS is currently only attracting 1% of the crowd. Further inspection of the full report (that can be downloaded here) they went on to explain:
“Nintendo’s new Switch console is also expected to debut this year, so it’s interesting that 3 percent of respondents said they’re currently working on a game that will release on Switch and 5 percent said they expect their next game will be released on Switch.”
Details in the report suggest that developers are still, at this stage anyway, unsure about sales figures for Nintendo’s new home console:
“When polled about whether or not they thought the Switch would outsell Nintendo’s Wii U (which has an install base of roughly 13 million, worldwide) in its lifetime, 50 percent said yes, the Switch will outperform the Wii U. 14 percent predicted it wouldn’t, and 37 percent admitted they had no idea.”
Mixed and cautiously optimistic results from such early days for the Nintendo Switch if you ask me. What do you think?
Who’s that .02% still developing for the Original DS? that’s what I want to know
Good shout! I’ll do some digging.
thank you based nintenmau5!!
Nothing yet I’m afraid :(
it’s ok, it was more of a rhetorical question anyways ^^
Some homebrewer.
3%? Well, it’ll be 1,000,000% once the Switch launches! AND MICROSOFT’S PRECIOUS STINKBOX ONE S WON’T STAND A CHANCE!
Shut up.
lololololololololololol
The chances of sonicgalaxy27 being this guy is high.
But… but it has 4K Blu-Ray!
They should make a contest to see who win a free Nintendo Switch console. Oh I know.
How about a smash bros contest. Who ever wins a battle online in smash bros, a player will win a free Nintendo Switch console. After they win, they will enter there name, there address, and there date of birth, and get the console deliver right from there house or a mailbox and. that’s it.
They should do that because that’s a prefect contest.
Sooo anyone who wins even one battle of Smash Bros online would get a free console? Is your plan to make the install base huge without anyone actually paying for the console?
No
can I come live in your magic fantasy world? I need a change of scenery
This is no fantasy.
lol k
No
lol ok then
Alright
?
Lol, PC takes up more than half. That’s to be expected though.
These numbers aren’t really indicative of anything, but they don’t paint a pretty picture either. GDC 2013 found that 11% of devs were in the process of making a game for X1 and PS4 nine months before those consoles launched. Then again only 2.8% of respondants said they were developing for the 3DS in that same year (2 years after the console’s launch) and that system turned out to be successful.
||Keep in mind that most of these are just Indie Tribes and only recently did High Command hand out more prototype 3.0 Switches for them to create new weaponry for them…||
You’ve sort of hit the nail on the head without realising how. The 3DS library is rammed full of titles from tons of developers, and yet such polls would suggest otherwise. Why? Because GDC is an American event, not attended by nearly as many Japanese developers (outside of the big players) as it is Western ones. You can rest assured that Nintendo are likely going to try and carry over their many Japan-centric development ties from the 3DS to the Switch in due course.
Good points made there :)
Thanks my good man. How long have you been contributing to the blog? Keep up the good work.
I think the regional difference comes into play as well. The 3DS was carried mainly by Japanese games, but the handheld market is also much bigger in Japan than the console market. In America, home consoles are more popular and American devs play a large role in a console’s success. Like you said, if the Switch attracts Japanese devs it won’t be a problem.
I’d like to see the list of who is in that 3%.
I’m sure in a few hours we will certainly find out!
of course. PC master race.
besides Nintendo, everything else is crap. The best combo ever.
Water is PC & Gatorade is the PS4.
Just 4 hours & 25 minutes til showtime here.
10pm can’t come soon enough.
2 MORE HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!
An hour, 6 minutes, and something seconds now.
59 MINUTES TO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!