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In This Edition
- Why physical editions are important on Switch
- What CD Projekt learnt from The Witcher 3 on Switch
- More CD Projekt on Nintendo?
Hello, and welcome back to The Game Business. In one month, some of us will have a Switch 2 in our homes. The first Nintendo console in eight years.
Obviously, Mario Kart World is taking all the headlines, but third-party publishers are playing a big role on Nintendo this time around. And we managed to spend some time with one of those third-parties in the form of CD Projekt, which had a lot to say about the Nintendo audience, what it expects from Switch 2 and why it’s done a full physical version of Cyberpunk 2077 for the console.
You can watch or listen above, or simply read my article below. Enjoy!
It was remarkable to see so many third-party AAA games during the Switch 2 reveal.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected. The Switch 1 had been a surprise success, but the under-powered nature of the hardware meant that developers weren’t easily able to get their games running on it. With the increased capabilities of Switch 2, developers can now port across almost a generation’s worth of games to Nintendo’s new system. And, in many cases, even get their latest games running on it.
Nevertheless, seeing the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, Street Fighter 6, Star Wars Outlaws, Borderlands 4, Hitman and Madden during a Nintendo broadcast was an unusual sight.
It’s a bit of a myth that third-parties can’t succeed on Nintendo. Over 50% of the games sold on Switch 1 have been third-party titles, and there have been big third-party successes on the console, including Hogwarts Legacy, Minecraft, Just Dance, LEGO Star Wars and Crash Bandicoot.
Nevertheless, these games all fit with Nintendo’s more family-orientated and younger demographic. And we have been here before. Nintendo launched Wii U with strong third-party support, including AAA mature titles like Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty, but they all underperformed.
“Nintendo’s audience is growing and broadening and it's quite a bit different from what it used to be even a few years ago,” explains Jan Rosner, VP of business development at Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red.
“I think Nintendo is realizing that, and we have seen a big number of titles announced on the Switch 2 which you would maybe not immediately think of when it comes to [Nintendo]. With that said, we have also had the very cool experience with The Witcher 3 on the original Switch. And we know that there is an appetite for big open world AAA RPGs, which you would normally expect to be released on PC and [other] consoles.
“Switch 2 really fulfils the fantasy of playing such a game on the go. You are not tied to a big PC rig, but can take it on the go without any major compromises.”
As Rosner says, CD Projekt brought The Witcher 3 to the original Switch, and although the bulk of that game’s audience might play on PC and the other consoles, it was still a strong success. There are other stories like this on the first Switch, with the likes of Bethesda and Warner Bros supporting the console actively with mature games such as Skyrim, Doom and Mortal Kombat. Even Rockstar has seen impressive results on Switch with ports of LA Noire, The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy and Red Dead Redemption.
“I remember the conversations a few years back [where] we were wondering if there would an audience for this kind of game on Nintendo Switch,” Rosner adds.
“The Witcher 3, back then, was one of the first games of this kind to be released on Switch 1. It’s sort-of the precedent that there is absolutely an appetite for games like this on the platform, and that Switch is about more than first-party titles.”
Last year I spoke with Firaxis over its decision to release Civilization VII on Nintendo Switch. The developer told me that the previous game, Civilization VI, had done really well on Nintendo, and part of that was because fans of the game on PC decided to buy it again on Switch so they could have an on-the-go version.
Rosner acknowledges that the same was true of The Witcher 3, but the firm did find a new audience on Switch that it believes it wouldn’t have been able to reach on other platforms.
He adds: “We are going to see more and more third-party titles on the platform, which we may not necessarily expect on Switch 1. The previous generation has proven to be so successful, and there is so many more players to be reached with that, and I think that the [console’s capabilities] will surely allow it.”
Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 isn’t the only way players can experience the game on a handheld, as it is playable on Steam Deck. The PC handheld devices are nowhere near the scale of Switch, but for games like Cyberpunk, aren’t they perhaps a better fit?
“I'm not sure if I would consider Steam Deck a separate platform like Switch 2,” Rosner explains. “Switch 2 is entirely a platform of its own, which is not an extension to anything else.
“Steam Deck, as much as I love the device, feels like an extension to the existing PC audience and for the PC enthusiast. Switch 2 has its own audience. It's very big, Switch 1 has sold many, many, many millions of units worldwide, and this allows developers like us to to tap into that audience, and to pretty much reach an entirely new player base.”
Although Switch 2 is far more powerful than its predecessor, it isn’t to the level of PS5 or Xbox Series X; it’s closer to the PS4 in terms of capabilities. Cyberpunk 2077 was on PS4, but the Switch 2 port is not that version. For starters, the Cyberpunk 2077 expansion – Phantom Liberty – is included here, and that was never available on the older consoles.
Rosner says some compromises have been made with the Switch 2 version, but nothing that would risk the game’s “artistic vision”. In fact, he says the team got the game running fairly quickly, and that it was “not a gigantic effort whatsoever”. Instead, the biggest challenges have been ensuring the game plays well, that it makes use of some of Switch 2’s unique features, and that it suits the handheld format.
“Nintendo players are very appreciative of physical editions that are done right.”
But there’s a risk here. The PS4 and Xbox One versions of Cyberpunk 2077 ran so poorly that the game was delisted from the PlayStation Store and CD Projekt took a huge reputational hit. It’s spent the last five years turning that around, getting the game running well and the developer (and game) has largely recovered. Yet here we are again, with CD Projekt trying to get the game running well on less-powerful hardware.
“We were absolutely looking at that,” Rosner says. “We wanted to make sure that it plays right. It would have been apparent very early if [Switch 2] is not capable of running the game of this scale.
“There's always a thinking in the back of their head [of whether] people are going to compare it to, or expect, the PC level of performance. But again, with our The Witcher 3 experience, players in general are… I don’t want to say forgiving, but understanding of platform’s performance limitations. And they tend to not maybe expect an experience like they’re used to on the most capable platforms out there. It is a big AAA RPG on-the-go. We want to make sure that you can play it from start to finish, without making any major compromises. And I think we've managed to do that.”
Rosner says CD Projekt learnt a lot about the Nintendo audience through The Witcher 3. And one of the things it learnt was the importance of the physical edition. That ability to plug in a game and just go is something Nintendo players like and, as a result, it was important Cyberpunk 2077 can be played from the cartridge. Unless you need additional language packs, there is no download required.
“We try to look at those things as players ourselves,” Rosner explains. “And that was a big learning from the original Switch.
“The [internal storage] was way lower than it is now. A game like The Witcher 3 would take up to 80% of your internal memory if you don't have an external memory card. But… a plug and play experience is a really cool thing. We've already seen from the original Switch that Nintendo players are quite receptive to that. It was a goal that we wanted to achieve fairly early on.”
Cartridges are not cheap, however. And most third-party developers are instead using ‘key cards’ on Switch 2, which when plugged in, triggers a download from the Nintendo eShop. Considering how many other publishers are utilising this method, does CD Projekt not feel they could have got away with doing the same thing?
“It’s not a matter of getting away with something,” Rosner argues. “Nintendo at physical retail is still strong, and retail is, in general, not going anywhere. I don't think we'll soon experience a reality where we're just having all games digital.
“But again, it’s especially important for the Nintendo audience. We maybe could have got away with it, but is there a point? The right thing to do was to have it out on the cartridge with a plug and play experience.”
In advice to other studios, he adds: “Do not underestimate the physical edition. It's not going anywhere and Nintendo players are very appreciative of physical editions that are done right.”
Rosner praised Nintendo during our interview as being an ‘awesome partner’, and said the developer was working with the platform holder from ‘early on’ with Switch 2. So we had to finish by asking: could we see more CD Projekt titles on Nintendo this time? Whether that’s previous games, or upcoming ones such as The Witcher 4?
“Even if we had something planned, I cannot tell you right now,” Rosner concludes. “But what I can tell you is that we will surely be looking at the platform.
“I'm expecting it to share at least the similar level of success as Switch 1. Maybe at some point we'll be there in the future. It's impossible to ignore. We have big AAA games that are on the way, and the biggest focus right now is to develop them and make them available to the players. But, of course, the Switch will remain at the center of our focus as well.”
That’s it for today! Join us on Thursday for our news and analysis show. Have a great week.
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