The power of the Nintendo Switch 2 is making third-party developers very happy.
The Nintendo Switch 2 was unveiled by the Japanese company this week, confirming that there are plenty of third-party developers working on the platform (we’ve rounded up who they are and what they’re working on). Some of the developers spoke to Game File about their experiences working on the new system. Dennis Shirk of Firaxis (who are developing Sid Meier’s Civilization VII for the Nintendo Switch 2) said it was very easy to work on the new platform.
According to one of the producers responsible for the Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise, their software development kit (SDK) is great, as well as their customer support, developer support, and developer relations. According to him, Nintendo knew that Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (which will be one of the platform’s opening titles and has been in development on the port since October) would be a desirable game on that platform because it’s a great showcase for the Nintendo Switch 2 mouse, and Shirk says it pairs so well with their existing PC audience because there’s cross-play.
Other developers, such as Avalanche Software, which is developing Hogwarts Legacy, have been working on a Switch 2 port for about a year. The studio originally started with the Nintendo Switch version and got very good results very quickly, but the developers felt they could make a higher quality product by adding a lot of high-res assets and increasing the resolution, texture quality, lighting, and world streaming.
The most notable change between the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Hogwarts Legacy and the original, stripped-down Nintendo Switch port is the removal of several large loadouts, such as when you enter Hogsmeade. On the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series, this was a seamless transition, but on Switch, players were forced to wait. Several areas of Hogwarts Castle have been changed for the Nintendo Switch version due to performance limitations.
The question is how long they will stay that way.
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