Nintendo is the video game company that everyone loves to love. The company revolutionized video games and brought gaming from arcades into our living rooms in the first mainstream way.
While Nintendo has experienced ups and downs like any company, one aspect of the user experience has plagued gamers since the Wii: bad online support and gameplay.
This may come as no surprise to any of you who have ridden Nintendo’s wave over the last few console generations. However now that the Switch is out, the disappointing online support has been pushed even further into the limelight with the Nintendo Switch Online app.
If you are reading this, you probably know the issues the app has and the problems that arise from a lack of native chat support. While that is another argument with many sides, there is one group above all else affected by the archaic online support: independent developers. In February Nintendo unveiled “Nindies,” a slew of indie games coming to the new platform. Huge games such as Harvest Moon-esque Stardew Valley, Banjo-Kazooie inspired Yooka-Laylee, and Steamworld Dig 2.
Fans were excited to get their hands on many of these new games yet the rollout of these games has been less than ideal with many developers left in the dark when it came to releasing their games on time.
NBA Playgrounds, NBA Jam’s spiritual successor, has had a rocky go on Nintendo’s new console. While the game made it’s May 9th release date, update delays followed in the following months. By the time the Switch version received it’s first content update adding online play last week, the Playstation 4 and Xbox One counterparts had already received four updates adding many new players, shot meters and 3-point contest. On top of that, the other consoles had online play day one. The developers Saber Interactive received much criticism from consumers who purchased the game for lacking features on the Switch version and consistently saying “next week” when pressed on update details. The main cause of the delay was cited as online connectivity issues.
Another Nindie reveal Pocket Rumble was one of my more highly anticipated fighting games that would scratch the fighter itch while waiting on other games. The game boasted Gameboy-like asthetics, easy to pick up controls, and HD rumble support. While the game was initially slated for release in March, Chucklefish games missed the window and no information was given in regards to the delay. In June, Chucklefish stated on Twitter online multiplayer was the central cause. Since then, no information has been given.
Zen Studios’s Infinite Minigolf was expected to release at noon CDT today. When the time finally came, the developer was shocked to see their game was not going to be released alongside all other platforms. The studio was caught with their pants down and have allegedly been in contact all day with Nintendo to figure out what the holdup is. As of now, the game has yet to be released and the July 25th window is closing. An interesting detail caught my eye in the game’s marketing; the game has a heavy custom course feature that allows cross-platform downloads. On top of that, there is a large online multiplayer component to the game.
What do all these games have in common? Online functionality. Saber Interactive had to jump through hoops to get the first update to the Switch a month after release; Pocket Rumble is still unavailable because of network issues; and Infinite Minigolf did not make their launch, seemingly because of Nintendo’s online guidelines.
On the internet, these developers have been getting their names dragged through the mud for missing launches and lacking features other platforms have. This is troubling for a variety of reasons, but the main one is future developer support. While many indie games were announced for the Switch in the Nindie Showcase, future game developers may see how their peers are being treated and steer away from the platform in order to keep their reputations in tact. Indie games have been giving life to the lulls between the major releases for the Switch so far. If the indie community begins to back away because of treatment, those lulls in 2018 and on will feel far more barren.
I love my Switch. It might be one of my favorite consoles of all time. But the fact remains; Nintendo’s online presence is archaic and well behind the times than any other console. It is long overdue for Nintendo to stop dragging independent developers through the mud due to their own negligence and own up to their faults.
Tech2Dump 