In the last year or two, Microsoft has been very vocal about its desire to support Switch and Switch 2. We’ve seen a couple of examples of this on the new hardware with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 and the soon-to-come Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but where’s the Gears? Where’s the Call of Duty? Where’s the Halo? As it turns out, we’re not the only ones who are a little surprised by the lack of support so far.
Reggie Fils-Aimé recently took a break from playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf on his Nintendo 3DS to sit down with The Game Business’ Christopher Dring and talk all things Switch 2. Microsoft’s pledged support was one of the topics that cropped up in conversation, and the former NoA president confessed that he’d expected to see more.
“I’m surprised that Xbox has not yet fully embraced Switch 2 from a software perspective,” Reggie said, “Certainly some games could easily be ported over to the Switch 2”. He even went more specific with his predictions, stating, “I thought there would be much more, especially during this timeframe leading into the Holiday. All through the fall, I was fully expecting some dedicated announcement. And I’m surprised it hasn’t happened.”
Recent months have seen Gears of War: Reloaded blast onto PS5, and Halo: Campaign Evolved will be making a similar leap at some point next year. Phil Spencer has said, time and again, how keen he is to support Nintendo systems, so it makes sense that Reggie might have been expecting more, particularly with two of the studio’s biggest franchises already venturing to pastures new.
This isn’t to say that Mr. Fils-Aimé has necessarily been disappointed with the Switch 2’s software slate so far, though he admits that he’s found Nintendo’s output a little confusing: “From a business perspective, when I first saw that lineup, I scratched my head a little bit” — come on, who honestly had Kirby Air Riders on their launch year bingo card?
“What I underestimated was the enhanced Nintendo Switch 1 content, which I think has been compelling,” he continued. “The stuff that you get for free as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, I think that has helped drive some of the momentum. And then certainly, Bananza was a key driver for them.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Reggie discusses the console war, Switch 2’s meaty sales numbers and what the future of the industry might look like. You’ll find a video version at the top of this article, or you can check it out in writing over on The Game Business website.
