Polygon has run an extensive interview was a number of developers to find out what they think about the Nintendo Switch which launches this Friday. A number of people are interviewed so I suggest checking out the full article here. For now here’s a few choice extracts:
Goichi Suda
(CEO, Grasshopper Manufacture, directing untitled Switch game)
I’ve worked with Nintendo on lots of different projects, and I think most of the time Nintendo does a good job of challenging developers with new ideas. … That’s kind of the essence of game design. So this time, I feel like Switch is new and offers something really interesting. … Being able to go from a handheld to a console hooked up to your TV is pretty cool and revolutionary. For example, a game like The Silver Case [an adventure game Suda is working on, which has not been announced for Switch] would be perfect because that’s something where the story makes you want to keep going and take it with you.
Yoshinori Ono
(Series producer, Street Fighter, overseeing Ultra Street Fighter 2 on Switch)
When Nintendo presented their concept for how to enjoy the Switch, I interpreted it as, “This is a platform where you don’t have to be restricted by opportunities, places and situations where you play games.” I’m sure there were a lot of creators and team members that felt the same way, so I imagine that inspired them to bring other popular games from the past back. … At the very least, that’s how Ultra Street Fighter 2 came to be. … Since Street Fighter 2 spread around the world on SNES … we thought it made perfect sense for us to develop Ultra Street Fighter 2 for the Switch and get as many players as we can to play Street Fighter 2 again on a Nintendo console.
Christian Svensson
(Chief Operating Officer, Sixfoot, publishing Rime on Switch)
Our reasons for [porting Rime] were we wanted to reach a broad audience, and it’s the type of game that feels like it belongs on a Nintendo platform. I don’t know that you could say that for every game out there. Everyone’s gotta have their own reasons for porting. From a technical perspective, the amount of work is not trivial. There are definitely easier platforms to get to. Without getting into details, a lot of it has to do with RAM limitations relative to the PS4 and Xbox One, as an example. So it’s a trickier — even notwithstanding processing differentials between those platforms. As far as why more people are doing it, here’s an obvious one: better support for certain engines. Obviously Unreal never existed on Wii U or 3DS, and it exists — or will more properly exist eventually — on Switch. … That’s a huge thing. I think there are certain tools that exist on Switch, for performance and optimization, that never existed on Nintendo platforms before. It’s a huge step forward on those fronts. So maybe that’s what’s giving developers a little more confidence to say, “You know what? We can figure this out. We’re not sort of feeling our way through the dark.”
Ye
Pretty fast you were, congratulations. I was just reading it a couple of hours ago over there.
This definitely became the best news aggregator to follow. Thumbs up.
Not good.
Excellent, Mr. Smithers…
i dont care what YOU THINK you should care what I think im the customer your job is to make me happy
No, their job is to make the product that they envision. If developers only listened to consumers, their games would be all over the place because a) most of us have no idea what we’re talking about and speak out of emotion and not construct, and b) consumers have such wide, differing opinions that there is very little they can take away that’s actually substantial. If it’s a technical or quantifiable issue, they’ll listen. If it’s subjective criticism, well, they know they can’t please everybody.
This.
yeah remeber windwaker, nobody was pleased with that game when it was revealed and now it is seen as one of the best zelda games
I was pleased.
i was talking about the reveal. everyone wanted realistic zelda
I was talking about the reveal too.
eh to each their own. I wasnt even into video games at the time so I can say if i would have been into it or not
I agree, WW is a prime example. TP is something most people wanted and it was significantly inferior to WW, a game almost no one wanted. It had more charm than any other Zelda game.
The switch is gonna help Nintendo.
Ok, so those are quotes who are already developing for the Switch anyways. It would’ve been more valuable to hear the voices of every kind of developer. Western, eastern, pro Switch, contra Switch, some who might think about it ‘if…’ and so on.