Several 3rd-Party Developers Reportedly Still Unable to Get Switch 2 Dev-Kits - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 26 August 2025 / 7,383 Views
John Linneman and Oliver Mackenzie on the latest DF Direct Weekly podcast have reported they were told by a number of third-party developers that they are still unable to get Nintendo Switch 2 dev-kits.
Linneman stated Nintendo told developers to instead make games for the Switch 1 for now as they would be backwards compatible on the Switch 2.
"There’s been a lot of talk about this lately, that Nintendo seems to be almost discouraging Switch 2 development to some degree," said Linneman (via VideoGamesChronicle). "I’ve spoken with plenty of developers where they were told that their game, they should just ship it on Switch 1 and rely on backwards compatibility.
"There’s a lot of developers that are unable to get Switch 2 dev kits. We talked to a lot of devs at Gamescom this year, and so many of them said the same things. They want to ship on Switch 2. They would love to do Switch 2 versions. They can’t get the hardware. It’s really difficult right now."
Mackenzie added, "I think they should [get more devkits out there], but I don’t really know what Nintendo’s mindset was with these sets of decisions. So I don’t really understand the strategy because, like you said, even now developers are struggling to get systems.
"And I know that some months ago when we were hearing things through the grapevine and talking to people, there were some weird exclusions with some big developers struggling to get kits for games. And there were some kind of weird inclusions as well. Some indies were included, which is nice to see.
"But there’s that campfire game, you know, the camera campfire game, and they’re getting kits. And some big developers, on the other hand, who developed AAA stuff, aren’t necessarily in the pipeline there for kits."
The two added that Nintendo telling developers to release games on the Switch 1 and relying on backwards compatibility isn't helpful for games that push the limits of the Switch 1.
"Considering the sales volume of Switch 2, it’s not like developers would be in a position where they didn’t want to support the new hardware," said Mackenzie. "I think broadly speaking, developers do want to support the new hardware.
"But the thing that’s really stark to me too is, at this point, we’ve seen very few proper Switch 2 Editions post-launch. I don’t think we’ve seen any hardly at all, really, from third-party developers in particular. Obviously we saw No Man’s Sky, I think one or two other games in the mix there. But really, it’s been a very slow trickle of titles earning that Switch 2 Edition badge. So, yeah, I really want to see more movement on that front.
"I hope it’s a temporary thing. I hope that in a year or two, we’re looking back and we’re like, that was a really weird decision, but it was fixed in time. I hope that’s what we’re looking at in a little while."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
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It's a pretty concearning matter. There are some Switch 1 indie games that have some problems when running on the Switch 2 via backwards compatibility. The devs are aware of these issues and want to fix them, but Nintendo won't give them Switch 2 dev kits.
Personally I'm aware of the case of Slay The Princess - The Pristine Cut. The game runs mostly fine on Switch 2 (actually at a much better framerate and with shorter loading times), but for some reason, the menus exhibit a constant flickering that can be incredibly annoying. The devs know about this, but can't do anything until they get the dev kits.
Most major devs have them, but that's not enough honestly. If Nintendo is trying to curate Switch 2's library more carefully than the huge mess of shovelware that is on Switch, then this is not the way to do it.
Wait, so Nintendo doesn't want Waifu Uncovered 3 on the Switch 2 in glorious 120Hz and 1440p visuals? You'll practically be able to see the areola hairs.
Why oh why would anyone want to see areola hairs?!?!
I get why Nintendo is being selective, but it's definitely a choice that will hurt them in the immediate. I feel bad mostly for the indie devs though
Same thing happened when the Switch 1 came out. Lack of dev kits were out there.
Just read an ign article about this. Truly a classic Nintendo business decision: meaning doing the exactly opposite of what makes sense.
They release a super expensive system with lots of power in order to get more third party AAA support than they've had in two decades, and then they purposefully restrict kits to devs. They should, obviously, be doing the exact opposite, and trying to put dev kits in the hands of every game studio on earth that has any interest in S2.
I love Nintendo, but they sure do make it a cornerstone of their business policy to constantly make the dumbest decisions possible. First the awful pricing and no Mario in sight, and now they don't even want third parties to put out games on the new system.
Nintendo is just more and more confirming my decision on holding off on blowing a ton of money to get the system after owning every Nintendo console except WiiU, and buying all the rest of them on launch day or as soon as I could get my hands on them.
Nintendo is so great but they are their own biggest enemy, constantly holding themselves back with nonsensical decisions like this. Every company makes bad decisions sometimes, but for Nintendo it's part of their core business identity.
Nintendo’s reputation for tight control over its platforms is well-earned, and the Switch 2’s launch year seems to be no different. While the company is rightfully focused on avoiding a flood of shovelware, its strict approach may have backfired. The absence of day-and-date Switch 2 versions for major 2025 Switch releases—like the delay of Sonic Racing Crossworlds and the lack of a Switch 2 version for Sega’s Shinobi—sends a clear message: Nintendo either failed to distribute enough development kits or provided them too late. The result is a lineup that feels underprepared, leaving both fans and developers frustrated. As a consumer, I’ve never been more aware of how poorly equipped third-party studios seem to be.
I feel like this story is a bit overblown...
The larger AAA 3rd parties have had kits for a long time now
I imagine 90% of the complaints are coming from indie devs that don't have a great relationship with Nintendo
"there were some weird exclusions with some big developers struggling to get kits for games"
I do thing there's a bit more to it than just indies and I'm still a bit baffled by the slow support we're seeing from the larger publishers. So many games that I thought would be put on the system ASAP but instead things are taking longer. Could be developers being cautious but could also be Nintendo being very limiting with dev kits.
Even if a publisher/developer received dev kits, maybe the amount they receive has a big impact on how many games/ports they can work on at any one time. I thought for example Jedi Survivor (already has PS4/X1 port) would land on the system before Outlaws but maybe EA had to prioritise other titles over Survivor. Then there are many Japanese games like Digimon Story: Time Stranger with no Switch 2 version announced despite looking like a PS4 game and an obvious leaning to the Japanese market.
I could definitely imagine a situation after the success of Switch 1, where Nintendo i s worried about having too many developers drowning the system in late ports during it's launch window, causing a cannibalisation of 3rd party sales and visibility.
Nintendo post-Iwata has been disappointing. They keep flubbing minor things.
Just skip putting games on Nintendo platforms if Nintendo doesn't want them.
The 100 some million gamers that are going to buy the Switch 2 is kind of a big reason why they would want to put them on there.
If Nintendo wants them there, they can provide a dev kit.
i think almost any developer wants a shot at the switch 2
Maybe in Nintendo's vision. Switch 2 wasn't supposed to replace Switch 1, it was supposed to run alongside it and get some more third party ports for extra cash
i do not think that will ever come out of Nintendo's mouth
no of course not, but their game release strategy will speak for itself. If the next Zelda, Mario or Pokemon game comes out on Switch then we know it to be true
i do not see the next main zelda or mario being on the switch1
I don't think the Switch 2 is doing well enough to justify abandoning the Switch 1's 150m units but we'll see. I'm expecting a PS5/PS5 Pro approach from Nintendo.
There is also a ton of instances where abandoning the Switch 1 hardware just does not make sense...
Especially games that push art over graphics. I.E. Ori and the Will of the Wisps looks extremely lush on the Switch 1 OLED panel with those inky blacks and vivid colours.
Not everything needs the horsepower of the Switch 2, so you might as well release it on Xbox One/Playstation 4/Switch 1 which still have 10's of millions of gamers happily gaming.
I read that MKW and DKB were both originally being developed for Switch 1, so I wonder if we will ever see downgraded versions of those games on Switch 1.
They definitely started their design concept phase in the Switch 1 era... But there are large parts of those games that just can't work on the Switch 1 as they were only made possible by the Switch 2's more powerful hardware.... I.E. Donkey Kongs Particles, Destruction and Physics simulation just isn't feasible on the Switch 1 CPU cores.
In the case of MKW, they couldn't get the 24-player races to work well on Switch 1. That was probably for the best. I'm having a blast with MKW on Switch 2.
What you're saying has no basis on reality at all.
The Switch 2 is their fastest selling console ever. How is it not doing well enough? What are you talking about lol
They abandoned the massive Wii user base to try and save the Wii U. They did the same with the DS. And now they will do the same with the Switch, though I expect a few SW1 releases in 2026 and 2027.
Newer big games, though? These are all going to be exclusive.
Look at the Europe sales on the front page. NS2 only sold 115k more units than PS5 which is a nearly 5 year old console. I'm not saying it's selling badly, but since Switch 1 has been so unbelievably successful, it makes it harder for it's successor to replace it.
With regards to moving on from the Wii and DS, software sales for those systems was really bad towards ends of their life. DS had really bad piracy, and Wii just faded really badly.
You're cherrypicking data, and Europe is one of the weakest regions for Nintendo and one of the strongest for Sony.
I could do the same thing with Japan but that would be dumb.
The Switch 2 is off to a great start and we have 2 big exclusive games already, so I would expect these to keep coming. To insinuate otherwise is just deny reality.
I'm just saying that the sales you need from Switch 2, to replace the Switch 1, would need to be much better than they currently are. I get it, it sold amazingly in it's first month but it's falling off now. Just go to any big store where you live and see if you can find one on a shelf. If you can, that's not a good sign considering it just released
I wasn't expecting the whole Switch 2 sales are falling off a cliff talk so soon lol
We're done here, but all I'm going to say is
a) sales declines after launch are normal, it literally happens with every console.
b) plenty of consoles have stock after launch... the whole PS5/Series X shortages thing isn't normal, I'm sure you could find a PS4 and Xbox One after launch just fine.
PS4 took until early 2014 until it was easily purchasable, it was extremely popular. Xbone however no-one wanted.
I'm in the USA. The Switch 2 is available if you want one, but stores are still regularly running out of stock. They didn't want it to fall prey to scalpers, after what happened to the PS5 launch, which was also marred by supply chain issues. I had zero trouble getting a PS4 in 2013.. And it's tracking far ahead of the Switch 1 in the USA. And the USA is a much larger market for Switch than Europe.
I'm not really saying the Switch 2 is selling poorly, I'm saying that there isn't massive mad rush for it. Also, big games like Elden Ring and BDL4 are running very poorly on it. I just don't see how it can be successful enough to replace the Switch with news like this.
