Nintendo and third-party relations just don't ever seem to work out, do they? The decision to make the Nintendo 64, a cartridge-based console, was a mistake Nintendo should have learned from years ago. There is more justification for it with the Nintendo Switch, which is a semi-handheld console. But the decision to appeal towards that niche of active, moving gamers has definitely resulted in some headaches for developers trying to make games for it. One such headache seems to be spreading right back around to Nintendo, as the Bandai Namco announced that the port of "dark souls" to the Nintendo Switch will be Delayed into the Summer.
The Nintendo Switch version of #DarkSoulsRemastered will be pushed back to Summer 2018, as well as the Solaire of Astora amiibo. We apologise for the delay but rest assured, the extra time will improve your journey to Lordran.
— Bandai Namco UK (@BandaiNamcoUK) April 17, 2018
PC/PS4/X1 versions is still coming 25th May 2018.
An uncomfortable trend
This is not the first title to be delayed on the Nintendo Switch. "Manticore: Galaxy on Fire" was delayed from March 22 to April 19. "Valkyria Chronicles 4" has been delayed from a summer release to one in the fall. And "Dragon Quest XI" has been delayed from a 2018 release to an unspecified one. Now "Dark Souls Remastered" is joining the list. What is it about Nintendo's console that is causing these delays?
Suspicions and speculations
As I mentioned, most developers are not comfortable with revealing information surrounding their delays. Some fans speculate that cartridges are just not a healthy storage medium to develop for. Others believe that Sony or Microsoft have paid off developers to delay the Switch launch of games to hurt Nintendo.
And others say that the Switch is just a very different console, so porting to it is far different than porting it to PS4 or Xbox One. One staff member we did hear back from was the "Dragon Quest XI" producer, Hokuto Okamoto.
Okamoto told Gamespot that "Unreal Engine 4" was the reason for their game's delay. The game was supposedly created using an older version of Unreal Engine, and must now be updated to function on the Switch.
Nintendo Fan Outrage
Release parity between the different platforms is the main topic of discussion now. The release for the PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One are still coming at the regular announced date. What this means is that people will naturally play the game on any of the other systems before the Switch version comes out, and will have no reason to buy it until that time. Considering how often this has been happening this year, people are starting to become frustrated at the treatment that the Switch is getting compared to other systems.
We can't really know what the cause for this delay in is. Perhaps Bandai Namco really is just disrespecting the Switch and its fans. Or maybe they are just rushing out an unfinished product for all of the other platforms.
It's hard to say. It's also difficult to tell whether Nintendo's venture into being a high-powered, hybrid console is going to be worth it. The difference in power between docked and undocked mode is more work for developers. The obligation to use cartridges as a mobile device also creates problems. Nintendo overpowered last year with its line-up of high-quality, first-party titles, but will need to get better third party support if it wishes to thrive beyond that.
