Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Could Skyrim on Switch Be a Big, Fat Lie?

Could Skyrim on Switch Be a Big, Fat Lie?

As much as the Nintendo Switch trailer intrigued me, there was one major problem: the featured footage of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and 2K’s NBA 2K17 . Within hours of the trailer’s release, both Bethesda and 2K came out with a statement that said, “we’re happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Nintendo on the trailer. While we are not confirming any specific titles at this time, we are pleased to announce our partnership with Nintendo and support of Nintendo Switch. We look forward to revealing specific details at a later date.”

That quote is almost word for word from both publishers, which essentially means their hands are tied when it comes to revealing Nintendo Switch games. This is despite Ubisoft’s announcement of Just Dance 2017 for the Switch. However, hands are probably tied because negotiations are nowhere near done yet, which means Nintendo must tread carefully if it still wants third party support.

In addition, Nintendo is wildly deceiving the average consumer. Not everyone watches gaming news as avidly as journalists themselves. There are plenty of people out there who are under the impression that because the games were shown in the Nintendo Switch’s trailer, they must be confirmed for the console. There are so many diehard fans for Skyrim and NBA that buy a console for that one particular game. If those games are not on the Switch as they were in the trailer, these people are going to be very angry. And for good reason! Can you imagine what would have happened if any other company did this? Imagine if after all the bundles and footage, Uncharted 4 never came out for the PS4! Why, the outrage would have hit the streets!

As much as I may be exaggerating a little, I have no doubt that some people will be misled about the Switch and the content it features. This is especially a problem because both Bethesda and Skyrim imply a type of audience Nintendo’s consoles haven’t seen in years. We’re talking the big open world of mods, and Bethesda knows that’s where the profit is. I can tell you right now, there is no way Nintendo is allowing mods on its console. Nintendo is locked down the same way Apple is, in some misguided vision of protecting its IP. This makes Skyrim on the Switch very unlikely and even worse, Skyrim without mods is decidedly laughable (I’m so glad they’re available on consoles now).

Basically, this trailer featuring Skyrim has a lot of bad consequences if Nintendo can’t manage a decent deal with third party developers. However, if Nintendo does figure it out and Bethesda confirms Skyrim , that will be a whole other kettle of fish. As much as Skyrim on the Switch would appeal to hardcore gamers, I’m not really sure this audience will be into taking such a game travelling. It is so much easier to pack your phone or even your Vita if you have one, and focus on a casual game you don’t mind looking away from to catch the next bus or plane. I mean, I can’t even play something like Assassin’s Creed on my Vita while travelling, the process is just too distracting when I’d rather be focusing on not alerting guards in my game. Bejeweled , though, I can turn off my screen and catch the train without fear of being torn from any kind of immersion.

Could Skyrim on Switch Be a Big, Fat Lie?

In addition, the Switch trailer featured a lot of multiplayer. The kind of in-person multiplayer that crashed so badly with Tri Force Heroes for the 3DS. Frankly, multiplayer outside of the living room is definitely more for kids, something to play in the back of the car on a long trip, not something to randomly play at a coffee shop or the park. Heck, this is why Overwatch succeeded so well for gamers. It’s casual friendly, but we don’t have to all be in the same room to play.

As I’ve said before , Nintendo is the perfect fit for the family, not the hardcore gamer. Content, length of play, and co-op mean very different things to families and hardcore gamers. The Switch cannot provide this. What’s the point of getting a Switch, when all you want to do is play at home for 5 hours straight because it’s winter and that snow is damn cold? Or co-op play, when it’s so much easier to hook up an online session on your console or PC? Of course, if Skyrim on the Switch turns out to be an empty promise, mismatched target demographics will be the least of Nintendo’s worries. There will be a lot of angry gamers out there.

To top