Nintendo Switch has poor third-party developer support according to survey

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A survey was conducted where 4,500 developers were asked what gaming devices they were making games for and the results revealed that the Switch was at the bottom of the list.

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PC and mobile OS are at the top of the chart, with the PS4 in third place. I'm not too surprised tbh.

It's kind of sad how the Switch isn't higher than the Apple TV or AR Headsets :/
 
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I think it must have to do with Nintendo Switch being still new (given that it's released these few weeks), so most of the developers might be unsure which kind of game will work well, or they are not sure if Switch will be a huge hit or not that time. So I think it might take some time if they will support Switch or not.
 
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I think it must have to do with Nintendo Switch being still new (given that it's released these few weeks), so most of the developers might be unsure which kind of game will work well, or they are not sure if Switch will be a huge hit or not that time. So I think it might take some time if they will support Switch or not.
I agree with you. Perhaps it was a combination of hesitance and lack of support for developers. Like maybe Nintendo didn't put out enough information on how to develop third party apps for the Switch due to the fact it came out not to long ago, and that caused there to be hesitance. Lol I'm not sure if I'm making sense I'm gonna get some sleep.
 
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Well, yeah, but the Switch is super new. It will need to prove itself and a bit wider distribution but then developers will start looking at the Switch. Besides, with the current line-up of Nintendo games there isn't an acute need for third party games. (I want to play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild so badly!)
 
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Well, even though those results are kind of dissapointing for the console and its consumers, I think most of the developers are still waiting to analyze whether or not it has good sales. If so, it is almost certain that developers are going to produce more games for the switch
 
No one wants to touch this piece of crap with a ten-foot pole. Nintendo are going to have to rehash BotW and older games a bajillion times before this cycle is out
 
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No one wants to touch this piece of crap with a ten-foot pole. Nintendo are going to have to rehash BotW and older games a bajillion times before this cycle is out
This thing is screwed. Even if it sells well, it'll end up hindering due to this poor support.

Even if it sells well, its doomed due to this terrible support. 3 pecent is very bad, it proves its too difficult to develop games for.
 
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I mean it just came out. There's nothing to really look into here.

Sales will be what determine support and it's selling incredibly well for the time being. By next GDC I expect that number to shoot up immensely.
 

I'm not claiming these are factual statements. Watch the video and consider what's presented.
 
  • #10
I can't take that survey seriously when it puts "Smartphones/Tablets" in second position. I'm not saying I believe more people develop on Switch than on smartdevices. Of course there are a whole ton of devs making unoptimised free 2D games in Javascript with in-app purchases and ads everywhere in two hours using general purpose frameworks... But I'd still buy a Switch and Zelda for 500€ even when I'm not a fan of Zelda games rather than play these games.
 
  • #11
For your info this survey was done in december 2016 before the device even came out :v

This thing is screwed. Even if it sells well, it'll end up hindering due to this poor support.

Even if it sells well, its doomed due to this terrible support. 3 pecent is very bad, it proves its too difficult to develop games for.
good sales = 3rd party support. the people will go where the hardware is selling. for example, if the ps4 didnt surpass 20 mil it wouldnt have got the support it gets now. the wii was a different case where it was aimed towards casuals so thats why third parties were weak on that (it would have happened on the wii u too if it did sell well.) the marketing changes lots of odds. without any major gimmicks to ruin gameplay, it has many more chances either way.
 
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  • #12
For your info this survey was done in december 2016 before the device even came out :v


good sales = 3rd party support. the people will go where the hardware is selling. for example, if the ps4 didnt surpass 20 mil it wouldnt have got the support it gets now. the wii was a different case where it was aimed towards casuals so thats why third parties were weak on that (it would have happened on the wii u too if it did sell well.) the marketing changes lots of odds. without any major gimmicks to ruin gameplay, it has many more chances either way.
Yeah, no. Good example is the Wii. Got a ton of 3rd party, but it was from much smaller developers who did not mind dumbing down the game for the system.

Its ain't gonna happen this time either. A lot of smaller developers will develop some indie games for it, but I doubt it will get a single massive 3rd party AAA game through its lifespan. If its too difficult to develop for it, its a waste of time and money.
 
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  • #13
Yeah, no. Good example is the Wii. Got a ton of 3rd party, but it was from much smaller developers who did not mind dumbing down the game for the system.

Its ain't gonna happen this time either. A lot of smaller developers will develop some indie games for it, but I doubt it will get a single massive 3rd party AAA game through its lifespan. If its too difficult to develop for it, its a waste of time and money.

Good argument, but the Wii had massively different architecture and a gimmick that paved a weird path that made it really hard to do so. Switch is a much easier system to develop for now and actually has enough power to at least the bare bones base of 90% third party AAA games. I'd say there's still a chance, but it could always go wrong... :p

A switch port could make a lot of money and be a console of choice for portability, if switch ends up attracting a playerbase consisting of more hardcore players from elsewhere, and it could get some 3rd party.

We're not seeing that.

At least not yet.
 
  • #14
Let me take your post from the original one you first did:

"It proves it's hard to develop for"

This survey was conducted in 2016 in december before it even launched. Many devs aren't gonna be comfortable with a new console with a new idea just yet, because they don't know how it's gonna turn out or if they want to support it once they get more details on the system (Which they did in january.) if another survey was conducted the percentage would have increased obviously.

And the dev kit is a lot cheaper than the Wii U's.

https://www.destructoid.com/pachter-says-switch-is-easy-to-develop-for--407137.phtml
http://mobilesyrup.com/2017/02/08/nintendo-touts-how-easy-it-is-to-develop-for-the-switch/

I'm not saying it's gonna be a huge success or I'm trying to be biased. Im just saying, your post goes all doom-and-gloom when really it's a this will do absolutely nicely OR this is going to go completely wrong. Considering the cards, choices, and current scenario of the industry it's very hard to bet if its going to sell or get third party support.
 
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  • #15
Let me take your post from the original one you first did:

"It proves it's hard to develop for"

This survey was conducted in 2016 in december before it even launched. Many devs aren't gonna be comfortable with a new console with a new idea just yet, because they don't know how it's gonna turn out or if they want to support it once they get more details on the system (Which they did in january.) if another survey was conducted the percentage would have increased obviously.

And the dev kit is a lot cheaper than the Wii U's.

https://www.destructoid.com/pachter-says-switch-is-easy-to-develop-for--407137.phtml
http://mobilesyrup.com/2017/02/08/nintendo-touts-how-easy-it-is-to-develop-for-the-switch/

I'm not saying it's gonna be a huge success or I'm trying to be biased. Im just saying, your post goes all doom-and-gloom when really it's a this will do absolutely nicely OR this is going to go completely wrong. Considering the cards, choices, and current scenario of the industry it's very hard to bet if its going to sell or get third party support.
It would be great if developers actually released all their games on the Switch, but here's the problem. Companies want as much profit as they can get in a simple manner. If its hard to develop for (due to proccesor restrictions), no matter how familiar a company is with it, it'll still be expensive.

The Switch uses a tegra x1, so its already a familiar chip for developers (released in 2015). Its a bad sign if there are barely any big developers not developing on an already familiar processor. It proves that its weak in home console standards. Its a really strong mobile gpu that matches high end phones with similar gpus, but incapable of running games developers want it too (AAA games).
 
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  • #16
I feel like this discussion can only have a solid foundation of evidence after E3 comes around. What's being discussed here is "What ifs". Yes, these factors do play a role in what the developers decide, but it is their decision. They can choose whether to make games or not. Yes, not every developer jumped on the Nintendo bandwagon. Not every developer jumped on the Microsoft or Sony bandwagon either.

Call this Nintendo damage control all you want, but none of us here are making the shots.

I think we can agree that the Switch came out too early, though.
 
  • #17
It would be great if developers actually released all their games on the Switch, but here's the problem. Companies want as much profit as they can get in a simple manner. If its hard to develop for (due to proccesor restrictions), no matter how familiar a company is with it, it'll still be expensive.

The Switch uses a tegra x1, so its already a familiar chip for developers (released in 2015). Its a bad sign if there are barely any big developers not developing on an already familiar processor. It proves that its weak in home console standards. Its a really strong mobile gpu that matches high end phones with similar gpus, but incapable of running games developers want it too (AAA games).

It doesn't "prove" anything if its weak or not. Example: Console comes out. Has the easiest way to develop games. Is utter crap, nobody buys it. As a result, third parties dont jump on board. Ever.

As long as the switch has a healthy userbase in the future, the costs into porting or downgrading while doing so will be less than what they earn. It all depends on the future of the switch.

It's a familiar processor, but not a familiar console.
 
  • #18
As long as the switch has a healthy userbase in the future
I'm sorry but I am utterly sick of hearing this used as justification. You can tell if a console will have a healthy userbase, 9 times out of 10, before the console even comes out. That's why launch titles are important. The Switch has absolutely nothing except BOTW and nothing as amazing lined up next.
The 3DS isn't a good defence example because it required an 80% price drop to sell, and they can't afford that with the Switch.
 
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  • #19
The Switch has absolutely nothing except BOTW
I don't count even count that one. It's also available on Wii U and was even planned as a Wii U exclusive. Of course it was a bad idea to keep it a Wii U exclusive so it became available on the Switch too, but still, I don't count that as 1 game in the Switch library. More like 0.4.
 
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  • #20
^^^^^I'd have to agree with the BOTW points, its a fantastic game but clearly it is the only major game on the system, and on top of that, its on the Wii u.

There are products that are initially hyped but quickly die down as consumers realize it is not as good as they thought or there is nothing to offer. The slow slew of games on top of a lackluster launch will dramatically cut down sales eventually.

On top of that, they want to go and support 3 platforms (mobile, switch, and 3ds) which is not smart at all (ends up getting a serious drought of games on all 3 platforms). Their idea is to space it out and give the illusion that great games are constantly coming on the system when they aren't proves Nintendo does not know what they are doing.
 
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