Nintendo’s latest home console has the industry buzzing, for better or worse. That said, developers certainly seem interested, as eighty games are confirmed to be in development for the Nintendo Switch. Add Nippon Ichi Software President Sohei Shinkawa to that list, if recent comments to Famitsu are any indication.
“We can’t just ignore the move to portable gaming consoles,” Shinkawa told the publication. “Our games are well suited for portable gaming, so when you think about it, it is important for PS4 and Nintendo Switch to balance each other out and do well. With that in mind, from here on multiplatform development for PS4 and Nintendo Switch is very much a possibility.”
That said, Shinkawa prefaced his comments with a full commitment to Sony’s platform.
“We are a software company that has grown together with PlayStation,” he stated, “and are well aware that a lot of our fans are on PlayStation platforms. So it is not as if we will stop developing games for PlayStation. Overseas, PlayStation 4 sales are incredibly strong and we will continue making games for the PlayStation 4 platform.”
These comments shed some interesting light on the industry’s perception of the Switch. Of course, Shinkawa doesn’t speak for all developers, but his sentiment that the Switch is a compliment to the PlayStation 4 seems to be a common one. Furthermore, it’s interesting that he counts Nintendo’s platform as a handheld system, considering Reggie Fils-Aime’s recent comments that it isn’t intended as a replacement to the 3DS.
It’s also worth noting is that Shinkawa’s comments aren’t empty promises. NIS actually has a title coming to the platform: Disgaea 5 Complete, a new version of an installment in one of their tentpole franchises. If it does well on the platform, it’s not an unreasonable expectation to see other NIS franchises follow suit, and perhaps even some original titles down the line.
With NIS, Atlus, and Square Enix rallying behind the platform, the Switch is already looking like a viable platform for JRPG fans.
