How The Nintendo Switch Became The Best Place For Indie Games

The Nintendo Switch is without doubt the best and most complete Nintendo system we’ve seen in a long time, perhaps going all the way back to the Wii for something that had instant and clear appeal. This was somewhat of a surprise considering how unsuccessful its predecessor the Wii U was marketed.

The console had to take on lessons learned in Nintendo’s leaner years and has fantastic home console quality games and makes these games work in an almost seemless portable fashion. There’s an instant gratification from simply picking up what is essentially a handheld console and getting stuck into a simply vast adventure like The Legend of Zelda or docking the console for some hard fought battles of Splatoon 2 on the big screen. It’s changed the way that we play some of these games.

There might still be question marks over the console’s credentials for third party publishers like EA and Ubisoft, as they will be wary of trying to divert developers to cut down games like Assassin’s Creed or Battlefield, especially as there’s such a clear power difference between this and Xbox One, but there’s also signs that they’re beginning to see and try to capture the system’s potential. Just look at FIFA 17’s Switch version or Mario + Rabbids from Ubisoft.

It will take time for cautious third parties to really adopt the console as they can be slow to adapt with games that take multiple years to develop, but that’s much less a factor for smaller indie games, and it’s these developers that are helping to fill out the console’s catalogue. In many ways, the Nintendo Switch is the new go-to platform for indie games and smaller releases from third parties. Sonic Mania is such a natural fit for the console, as are Snake Pass, Wonderboy: The Dragon’s Trap, Rime and Yooka-Laylee, and these are some of the biggest and most ambitious indie efforts of recent times.

Tef and I have played most, if not all of these games on other platforms, and yet there’s something fundamentally different about the Switch and its practicality for indies and multiplatform games. For one, you can obviously take the Nintendo Switch on the go. This means that we’re able to enjoy the same experience as we would at home with little difference in visual performance. This is a big part of why I wanted the Switch, I wanted to play Zelda all day and everyday. Funnily enough, the same thing applies for the large selection of indie games coming out on Nintendo’s latest platform.

And then there’s the Joy-Con that enable co-op experiences at the drop of a hat and makes every console ideal for local  multiplayer right out of the box. I’ve even taken the Switch on long journey’s with other people while playing games like Snipperclips, Overcooked and Death Squared with them, among other AAA co-op experiences too. This niche almost seems to give co-op indie games a Nintendo stamp of approval and gives them their own identities in the way split Joy-Con functionality works for the games.

Nintendo know that their console is a natural fit for indies, easily stepping in to take over from the PlayStation Vita. To that end they’ve been fostering these developers and their games on the platform, as demonstrated by the Summer Showcase that was held at PAX last night, highlighting games that will close out this year and start the next. There’s Super Meat Boy Forever, Shovel Knight King of Cards, Kentucky Route Zero, SteamWorld Dig 2 and plenty others. Many of these games are coming with exclusive features or timed exclusivity, as well, and it’s this that shows how Nintendo are actively encouraging developers to join them.

Nintendo’s own showcase is hardly the be all and end all of what will be on the way, with indie publishers like Devolver Digital, Curve Digital and Team17 seeing the Switch as fertile ground for their games. Again, there’s a mixture of new and old titles making the jump, such as The Flame in the Flood and Worms WMD, through to upcoming delights like Bomber Crew.

However, this brings its own problems, and Nintendo need to try and act sooner rather than later to improve the eShop. A big part of the reason why so many indies are flocking to the Switch is that there’s a buzz of popularity to the platform and that there’s relatively few others vying for the same, small but growing pool of players.

Discoverability is a pressing issue in the video games industry right now and all platforms struggle with it to varying degrees. Considering the insane rush of games that have come to Steam since they stepped away from the already flawed Steam Greenlight programme, or the endless stream of games coming to PS4 and Xbox One, it’s nigh on impossible to stand out and get noticed. The eShop right now has a simple recent releases, top sellers and search function, and that’s just not enough to handle the amount of games that will be on the console right now, let alone by Christmas or this time next year.

While some people may wring their hands over the lack of major AAA games from third parties, the Nindies look set to make up that shortfall. There’s a solid case to be made for the Switch being the ideal second console for many gamers, giving you Nintendo’s exclusive games that you simply can’t get anywhere else and all of these indie games that will often play just as well on Switch as elsewhere. After all, you’re going to get Destiny 2 on the platform that your friends are playing on, and you’ll want all the 4K HDR goodness you can get in Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Showing up fashionably late to this generation of console, it would be silly to try and compete there, but Nintendo can make a difference with Indies.

The Nintendo Switch can be an ideal house for Indies to live in, and Nintendo are doing a lot right to try and bring them to the console, but there’s still more to do to make that house into a home.