Bethesda has been doing magnificent work on the Nintendo Switch thus far, between impressive ports of games like Wolfenstein II: The New Blood, Doom and Skyrim. So a lot of users probably assume that a game like Fallout 76 would be a lock for the system, riiiiiight?
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Not so fast. While the game would no doubt be a dream for some fans, it isn’t likely to happen. During a recent panel at PAX Aus this weekend, marketing exec Pete Hines broke the sad news to users. The game simply “wasn’t doable” for the platform.
He didn’t break down exactly what it was that was keeping the game off the system, but it sounds like, in a technical sense, it just wouldn’t work. After all, the game will have a consistent online connection, not to mention a vast world to explore.
But don’t feel so crushed, Switch owners. You’re still getting a lot of Switch love, according to Hines. Doom Eternal has already been confirmed for the platform; and the next Wolfenstein game, Youngblood, which will be a spinoff for the series featuring B.J. Blazkowicz’ heavily armed daughters, is coming to it as well.
Hines explained that it’s really up to the individual teams how they want to support the Switch, but they always keep it in mind. “The Switch is something I can say with certainty that it’s a part of every conversation with every dev we have now about what we’re doing going forward because we consider it to be a viable platform,” he said. “If the game will work on it, we want it to be on every platform possible. Fallout 76 is not because it just wasn’t doable. But honestly, there is no game in development that we haven’t had a conversation about [bringing it to Switch]. ‘Does this work on the Switch, do you have a plan for the Switch?’ It’s not a mandate. Everything we do has to be developer-led, but it’s something we want to make sure is on folks’ radar.
“I enjoy us being seen as the third-party leader in terms of supporting Switch,” he continued. “People go, ‘Hey, you’ve got a lot more stuff [on Switch] than this publisher or that publisher.’ That’s what I want Bethesda to be known as. We’re guys who will take some risks.”
As far as when the games will come to the Switch, that’s hard to say. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is likely to drop in 2019, but Doom Eternal doesn’t have a release date. More than likely, we’ll learn more during the company’s next “BE3” event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Fallout 76, meanwhile, will release for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on November 14.
(Hat tip to our friends at GameSpot for the scoop!)
