Porting third-party games to the Nintendo Switch might be easier than expected, at least as exemplified by a recently released title.
Snake Pass, a multiplatform title made by Sumo Digital, only took a week to port to Nintendo's hybrid console, according to reports. The game is a physics-based puzzle and 3D platformer made with Unreal Engine 4, which the Switch supports.
'Snake Pass' Was Running On The Switch In Just A Week
In an interview with Gamer Professionals, Snake Pass creator Seb Liese says that the team managed to get the game fully running on the Switch in just a week. Following that week, of course, the developers applied tweaks to the game: ironing out the kinks, making a bunch of refinements. That said, managing to port a full game over to a brand-new console is nothing short of commendable, especially considering that the Switch is still very early in its lifespan.
Game development usually becomes more feasible and easier as more time is spent tinkering with the system's quirks and peculiarities. But a week? That's something else.
Keep in mind, however, that while the developers managed to bring it to the Switch in such a short span of time, the game was not without its share of problems.
"You'd notice that certain things didn't work well enough on the Switch, so you'd have to make a couple of tweaks here and there," says Liese, adding that the process will eventually even become quicker, seeing as Unreal Engine 4 now has an "export as Switch" button, which should be great news for developers planning to make games for the system.
Why This Matters
Sumo Digital's testimonial comes as evidence of Nintendo's claim that the Switch is easy to develop games for, and it might spell more sustained third-party support in the future. The console's predecessor, the Wii U, by contrast, was a system that was extremely hard to develop for, according to an insider.
This is an important aspect for the Switch because a huge part of its sales will most likely rely on third-party title releases for the console, which might be the sales pitch it needs to lure Sony and Microsoft holdouts over. If developers can port high-profile multiplatform games to the Switch easily, gamers might just opt for the console entirely, especially considering that the Switch, unlike any other home consoles of this generation, offers a handheld mode. It's possible that many people might choose the system over others simply with the notion of being able to play Skyrim and other games on the go.
Hopefully, other third-party developers will take Snake Pass as an example to give them an idea as to how easy it is to develop for the Switch.
The console is out now, retailing for $299. It might be hard to find a unit in the wild, though, seeing as Nintendo has nearly sold the initial 2 million units it had planned for the month of March, according to reports.
Thoughts about Snake Pass? If you've played the game on different systems including the Switch, are there any noteworthy differences in performance? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
