When it comes to the Nintendo Switch, fans are going to get a plethora of great 1st party titles, and some 3rd party exclusives like Octopath Traveler, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Astral Chain and more to satisfy their various gaming itches. However, when it comes to many of the “big 3rd party titles” that are multiplatform…the Switch is usually left out for technical specs reasons. That’s where game devs like Virtuos Games comes in.
They look at systems like the Nintendo Switch and work hard to port games to the console. In 2020 they brought in BioShock: The Collection, XCOM 2 Collection, and the Switch version of The Outer Worlds. And in the past they did Dark Souls: Remastered, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, and L.A. Noire.
The managing director of games Christophe Gandon talked with Nintendo Life recently about the Nintendo Switch’s success and in doing so teased that more 3rd party ports are coming:
“2021 has kicked off with the continued rise of the Nintendo Switch, as it now overtakes 3DS lifetime sales. There are many reasons for its success, including fantastic first party games and a clever design that finally crosses the handheld / console divide. However what makes the Switch really stand out is its continued strong third party support. Investing in the Switch ecosystem no longer means missing out on some of the biggest IPs in the world, with franchises like Bioshock and XCOM sitting in the same content library as Mario and Zelda. This can be credited to Nintendo’s new approach to working with third parties, and their desire to make the Switch a welcoming home to developers of all shapes and sizes. We’ve been able to make good use of Nintendo’s toolkits to make games look and run great on their hardware, and are excited about new projects on the horizon for this summer and beyond. There’s plenty more to come from the Switch family.”
Nintendo is set to have a big 2021 both 1st party and 3rd party-wise. Could Virtuos Games be a part of that grand design? We’ll find out.