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LawBreakers Isn’t On Switch Due To Lack Of Buttons According To Dev

Update: The developers admit they were wrong about the ‘lack of buttons’

LawBreakers, a new first-person shooter from game designer Cliff Bleszinski and the Boss Key Productions team, isn’t currently planned to release on Nintendo Switch. Lead Designer Dan Nanni said in a recent interview with GamingBolt that the Switch’s lack of buttons is the “hardest part” when porting LawBreakers.

There’s a possibility for everything and anything in this world. I think the hardest part with the Switch is the controls. Look at the game that we have right now, and we just literally by the skin of our teeth put the entire game and the control pad that the PlayStation has. That means that we could probably make it work for the Xbox One in someway, right? But if you’re looking at the Switch the base controller that’s on the unit, it doesn’t have as many buttons.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t be coming to Nintendo Switch but it’ll be interesting to see if the team at Boss Key Productions can come up with a way to make it happen in the future.

Source / Via

63 thoughts on “LawBreakers Isn’t On Switch Due To Lack Of Buttons According To Dev”

  1. Don’t the joy-cons have the same amount of buttons as an Xbox One controller or a pro controller? Am I missing something here?

      1. @ Aesthetic Gremlin It wasn’t cliffy. Lead Designer Dan Nanni said in a recent interview with GamingBolt

      2. The Switch has digital shoulder buttons. I’ve heard that the game doesn’t use the trackpad, so it has to be that it uses analog shoulder buttons on console, and other things on PC (like key combinations, and whatnot).

  2. This doesn’t really make sense. The Joy-Con have all the buttons of a regular controller. Unless the developers are using the touch-pad, in which case, you can just use the touch screen for handheld mode.

  3. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
    That is the only answer I can think off for that….

    1. Facepalm seriously!!! Just when I thought these devs can’t come up with anymore excuses….bam slaps me in the face with “not enough buttons”………… I don’t even know anymore.

  4. What absolute shit… Just don’t want to port it, sorry cliffy but you have lost respect… Shame, I loved gears

    1. It was Cliffy who said that. Lead Designer Dan Nanni said in a recent interview with GamingBolt that the Switch’s lack of buttons is the “hardest part” when porting LawBreakers.

  5. The joycons together have the same amount of buttons as Xbox as far as I know. PS4 has a clickable trackpad and the options button so yea it does beat the joycons on that aspect but if he said it works on Xbox there’s not really much excuse there.

    1. Actually, with the touchpad, it’s really only around 13 buttons that can be used within games, same amount as the Switch.
      But, the Switch also has 4 extra buttons which devs can also use, adding up to 17 buttons overall… So really the Switch has MORE buttons than the PS4 Dualshock 4 controller.

      1. It has the plus and minus buttons just remembered. The home and screenshot buttons don’t count tho since those can’t be mapped for gaming I believe. Leaving it with the same amount as ps4 since PS4 has a share button that isn’t for gaming. Just counted it up 16 each for gaming with the joystick clickers included.

  6. Please don’t tell me these guys have been using a singular Joy-Con, thinking that’s the Switch’s base controller. That’s the only logical explanation I can think of.

  7. … I’m a PC Gamer… but even I find this comment dumb as fuck….
    If they can get it working on a PS4 controller (Which only has one extra button, the touchpad), they can get it working on the Switch Controllers. Also, saying they could work on the Xbox One Controller…. I have news for Cliffy, THE SWITCH JOY CONS/PRO CONTROLLER AND XBOX ONE CONTROLLERS HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT OF BUTTONS!

    Funny thing is, in game…. the PS4 Dualshock will only use 13 buttons… JUST LIKE THE NINTENDO SWITCH CONTROLLER…..

    https://twitter.com/SpaceGamingC/status/885221699251306497

  8. Of all the terrible excuses I’ve heard to not port a game to a Nintendo platform over the years, this takes the biscuit. The PS4 pad might technically have additional buttons if one counts its touchpad thing (and doesn’t count the SR and SL buttons on the Switch Joycon, as they’re not on the Pro controller or available when it is plugged into grip). However it certainly doesn’t have less buttons than Xbox One controller (and if one counts motion as a potential input, then it has more). It has plenty of buttons, just admit that you’re not doing it for business reasons and move on.

  9. Ridley X3 {Jaded Ninty fan. Greatness Awaits at Sony PlayStation 4. Awaiting Greatness on Nintendo Switch; just need cloud storage, add external HDD support, & to eliminate the need for that stupid Nintendo Switch Online App on smartphones.}

    A simple “We don’t want to bring it to Switch for reasons.” would have sufficed. This honestly does sound like a terrible excuse to me. Not counting the S buttons which can’t be used if the Joy-Cons are attached to something and those buttons are mainly meant for when you are using one Joy-Con instead of both, you still have the same amount of buttons as the PS4 controller. The D-Pad for both counts as 4 separate buttons so it’s more than 13 on both. Then there is also the fact both controllers have motion controls built in so that’s another form of input. *shrug* Whatever, though. No skin off my back as I got a PS4 if this game interests me.

    1. So really it should be ok on PS4 and Switch huh? It’s the Xbox that’ll have trouble no? Since it actually has less buttons than both… He’s probably like “darn, shoulda actually looked at a Switch before throwing out random bs…” Lol

    1. Ridley X3 {Jaded Ninty fan. Greatness Awaits at Sony PlayStation 4. Awaiting Greatness on Nintendo Switch; just need cloud storage, add external HDD support, & to eliminate the need for that stupid Nintendo Switch Online App on smartphones.}

      The S-R & S-L buttons on the side of the controller? Those only work when you use only one Joy-Con as a controller & are useless when using both Joy-Cons, when being used attached to the Switch, & when attached to the grip thingy. So they aren’t actually counted as part of the buttons to use when you use both Joy-Cons.

  10. That’s the worst excuse ever made in human history. The joycons have the same amount of buttons as the other two consoles. What a tard.

  11. Hey folks,

    Sorry about that. Definitely misspoke, it happens sometimes. No excuses, just a mistake on my end. Apologies!

    There’s no confirming or denying a Switch version. That’s just the honest truth. We want to get the game out and every new console we launch on just means we have to postpone that from happening, so we’re prioritizing our efforts that way we can keep our studio lean and focused and the game released this year. We’ll launch LawBreakers next month on the PC and PS4, and we’ll start working towards future support.

    I’m glad to see the passionate responses to my foot-in-mouth quote though. Hopefully that means the idea of LawBreakers on another console like the Switch excites you. If it does, stop by @LawBreakers on Twitter since we post new announcements there and any official announcements regarding the game, like platform announcements, will be communicated through that handle. Also, feel free to drop me a line personally on Twitter, I’d be happy to chat about anything LawBreakers.

    Fun Fact: We actually do use every button on the controllers – all four directional pad directions and both stick buttons included.

    1. It was a simple mistake (which we all make) and you owned up to it. I and I’m sure others appreciate you taking the time to clear this up.

    2. Two words, “no plans” should suffice.
      The wild range of excuses makes one lose faith in the abilities of today’s professionals of the game industry,
      especially when a big part of those excuses are based on misinformation and “feels”.

  12. I wonder why they don’t just “tell the truth?!”
    “Well, to be honest our game carries heavy online play. & Nintendo’s online is unique when compared to PC, SONY & M$. We’re keeping an eye on exactly what they’re (meaning Nintendo) online service entails in the coming months (July Splatoon) to next year. Not to mention Nintendo pissed around to the last minute on sending us a dev kit, Lol.”

    & that’s about sums it up with numerous developers.

  13. thenintendoreviewer

    Just when I thought a dev couldn’t think of a worse excuse. That is truly the worst one I’ve ever heard. Now that they’ve admitted to being wrong, they better bring the game over. No reason for it not to be on the Switch

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