When Peter Moore made the announcement that “FIFA 18” will be custom-built for the Nintendo Switch, fans had mixed reactions to his statement. Some gamers were excited to speculate that the port could have the same features as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version. Meanwhile, there are some who experienced the previous installments on the Nintendo Wii and Wii U and were doubtful about the new title’s parity with other ports. The game officially launched last week and, unfortunately, the Switch version’s sales numbers failed to impress analysts.
Nintendo Switch ‘FIFA 18’ reportedly lacking
The information was confirmed by Gfk Chart-Track, a United Kingdom research company, which also noted that “FIFA 18” is currently on top of the charts in the UK. However, its Nintendo Switch version seems to have accounted for only three percent of its total sales in the country. More data reveals that the PlayStation 4 version dominated the market with a 60 percent share, while Microsoft’s Xbox One follows closely. It seems that the speculation about the portable version’s content was sadly confirmed.
Overall, the research firm revealed that the franchise’s sales were going down by 25 percent, which is most likely due to the popularity of digital copies over physical discs.
Meanwhile, the game has apparently knocked “Destiny 2” off the top spot, which it has sat on for the past few weeks since its launch last September 6.
Portable version apparently incomplete
While the poor sales of the Nintendo Switch version of the popular football game can be attributed to some missing features, it should be fairly noted that the current-gen console versions have a larger user-base than the hybrid game system.
One of the biggest disappointments of the portable version is the online multi-player experience, which apparently does not allow users to play with their friends. Other titles like “Splatoon 2” and “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” allow players to participate in online matches with their pals, but the EA’s premiere franchise seems to be unable to do so.
Users report glitches
It seems that missing features are not the only reason for complaints against “FIFA 18” on the Nintendo Switch. Several users have reported various issues that have plagued the portable variant of the game. One report claims that the game replaces player models with hit-box frames. Another problem seems to change the player’s faces into a checkerboard texture. Gamers suspect that the handheld version of the game might have been rushed, but are hopeful that a patch will be released to fix the issues soon enough.
