“I would love Citizen Sleeper 2 to have been on Switch 2 at launch, however that wasn’t attainable,” says Gareth Damian Martin.
They are not the solely indie developer that wasn’t invited to the Switch 2 occasion. Taking a look at the present checklist of titles for Nintendo’s newest console, there are only a few video games from indie devs. Deltarune and No Man’s Sky are amongst the fortunate ones that managed to get previous the velvet rope.
Tony Gowland from the Edinburgh-based indie studio Ant Workshop says this sluggish cadence of releases is typical for any console launch: a time when growth kits for the new machine are often briefly provide.
“By way of dev package availability, there was an identical scenario to the OG Switch, which was additionally like hen’s tooth for an excellent 6-7 months after launch,” he says. Ant Workshop launched its first Switch recreation – Binaries – in September 2017, many months after the console’s March 2017 debut.
Backwards compatibility
Gowland thinks that by way of sending out Switch 2 dev kits, Nintendo is prioritising titles that would not be doable on the earlier console. “The indie of us I do know who’ve been profitable in getting kits are engaged on video games that are in want of the Switch 2’s additional oomph,” he says.
“I imagine because of the complete backwards compatibility,” he continues, “their [Nintendo’s] present precedence is to supply kits for titles that don’t have an OG Switch model in the works – at the least that was the impression I acquired after we reached out about Into the Restless Ruins.”
(Now we have contacted Nintendo for remark and can replace this text if we hear again.)
The overwhelming majority of Switch titles work simply high-quality on Switch 2. However, in fact, these builders and publishers with out entry to a Switch 2 dev package have not had a option to check compatibility earlier than the console’s launch.
Damian Martin was relieved after they booted up Citizen Sleeper 2 on the new console. “Fortunately the recreation runs nice in 4k on Switch 2,” they are saying, “however this was information to me on launch day!”
The ready recreation
Chris Wright, founder and managing director of Fellow Traveller – the writer of Citizen Sleeper 2, together with titles like 1000xResist and Afterlove EP – says that they do not at the moment have entry to Switch 2 growth kits.
“It’s comprehensible that dev kits are closely restricted earlier than a console launch and so they often stay restricted for some time afterwards,” he says. “The Switch 2 has been very regular on this regard and we didn’t count on to have entry to kits forward of launch.”
Naturally, he would have favored to convey Fellow Traveller’s video games to Switch 2 on day one. “We’re actually eager to make use of issues like the mouse controls particularly,” he says. “Video games like Citizen Sleeper […] will profit from having mouse controls on the console.”
However he additionally acknowledges that it is “not very sensible” for Nintendo to ship out 1000’s of dev kits forward of launch for a extremely secretive new platform. Like most indie builders and publishers, he came upon the particulars of Switch 2 at the identical time as the normal public.
That is par for the course for a brand new console, he says: “It is fairly regular for issues to be saved on a need-to-know foundation.”
“What we want to see in the short-term is communication and readability to indies on what we are able to count on”
Chris Wright, Fellow Traveller
However now the Switch 2 has been out in the wild for weeks, he nonetheless would not have an thought of when Fellow Traveller may obtain some dev kits. “Now we have, principally, little or no info on after they’ll be obtainable.”
“What we want to see in the short-term is communication and readability to indies on what we are able to count on by way of when and the way entry to kits will open up,” he says. “We’re very eager to help the platform and realizing a timeline would enable us to plan for that.”
Engine help
The excellent news for indies is that help for Switch 2 is already in place for the two main recreation engines, Unity and Unreal. Actually, Unity developed its first recreation in 20 years as a Switch 2 unique.
Andrew Dennison, the head of Unity Studio Productions, mentioned the growth of Survival Youngsters gave Unity an opportunity to “emulate what our prospects undergo” and confirm how the engine labored throughout the manufacturing of an precise Switch 2 title.
Switch 2 help is on the market by a Unity plug-in for these with entry to a Switch 2 growth package.
Unreal can also be able to go. “Switch 2 offers an actual alternative for Unreal Engine builders because it has UE5 help in place from the begin,” says Terence Burns, co-founder and CTO of the Unreal Engine exterior growth studio Tanglewood Video games in Hartlepool.
Not like on the authentic Switch, Unreal Engine 5’s tech stack is totally supported on Switch 2, he says, “which signifies that there’s loads of scope for brand new titles to be developed, and it’s additionally simpler for builders to contemplate porting Xbox Sequence X or PS5 titles to the platform.”
“There’ll possible be a couple of energetic selections wanted about cutting down in some areas, given the nonetheless barely handheld-limited spec of the Switch 2,” he continues, “however it should imply fewer main content material adjustments which might compromise core recreation components.”
It is notable, nonetheless, that Tanglewood nonetheless would not have entry to its personal Switch 2 dev package.
A peek behind the curtain
One other recreation engine that has Switch 2 compatibility is the 2D-centric GameMaker, developed by Dundee-based YoYo Video games. The engine is used for the Switch 2 launch title Deltarune.
GameMaker’s senior product supervisor, Russell Kay, says they have been engaged on Switch 2 help for a couple of 12 months. “There was quite a lot of safety round it,” he says. “We needed to have a locked room, issues like that, and solely sure folks had entry to the package.”
“As a result of there was a restricted variety of builders granted entry to this, I really ended up doing most of the work myself.”
He says that Nintendo had a “very mature {hardware} product” at the time GameMaker acquired concerned. The principle adjustments he is seen with Switch 2 throughout the time he is been working with Nintendo have been round the “course of and admin facet of issues”, by way of issues like submission pointers.
“They hadn’t fairly completed a few of these pointers at sure factors. We needed to wait till they determined, ‘Oh, no, that is how we will do it’.”
To ensure that a developer to make use of the Switch 2 growth instruments in GameMaker, he says the Dundee firm has to verify with Nintendo that the developer has entry to a Switch 2 dev package. “We will not simply take anyone’s phrase for it,” he says.
“They haven’t opened the floodgates but”
Russell Kay, GameMaker
If Nintendo offers affirmation, GameMaker can then unlock entry to the Switch 2 menu. Naturally, this implies Kay is aware of precisely what number of builders are engaged on Switch 2 video games in GameMaker – though he cannot reveal that quantity.
However when requested whether or not Switch 2 dev kits are briefly provide, he has this to say: “Nintendo have been holding playing cards near their chest. We now know of some different builders who’ve Switch 2 entry, and we are working with them simply now.”
“However they haven’t opened the floodgates but. So we’re actually simply ready for that by way of how Nintendo are planning on opening the gates to all the different builders.”
“We do not know what their plans are by way of entry,” he provides. “We’re not occasion to what Nintendo are really planning.”
The 12 months forward
At launch, the authentic Switch turned one thing of a haven for indie builders. Its relative lack of graphical oomph really labored in indie devs’ favour, which means that they may keep away from competing towards big-budget, graphically spectacular titles on the platform.
However the Switch’s success additionally noticed its eShop change into progressively swamped with shovelware, resulting in a discoverability disaster. This has been addressed considerably by the new eShop on Switch 2, which gives enhancements like higher navigation and personalised suggestions.
Nonetheless, the Switch 2’s improved specs additionally imply indies will see competitors from video games like Cyberpunk 2077, which took the lion’s share of third-party recreation gross sales at the console’s launch.
As well as, the video games business panorama is markedly totally different in 2025 in contrast with eight years in the past. Whereas as soon as Nintendo had the handheld market virtually all to itself, now shoppers have varied PC handhelds to select from, like the Steam Deck and the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally. It is attainable that these will change into the most popular goal for indie titles.
In the meantime, many indie builders and publishers are nonetheless ready for his or her Switch 2 dev kits to reach. “Our hope is that they get to it, principally, and roll these things out shortly,” says Wright.
In any other case, he worries about the video games pipeline for Nintendo’s console. “What does subsequent 12 months appear like?” he asks. “Are we going to see a dearth of recent content material?”
“We would love them to possibly pace issues up just a little bit”
Chris Wright, Fellow Traveller
“Is it going to take a few years earlier than there’s that wider entry resulting in releases? We would love them to possibly pace issues up just a little bit now that launch is finished, and get some comms on the market, and a few paths for extra indies to start out getting kits.”
We ask Kay whether or not he shares builders’ issues a couple of probably sluggish rollout of Switch 2 dev kits. “I would not be too nervous, as a result of all Switch video games successfully work on [Switch 2],” he says. “There’s a big catalogue of video games already coming to Switch 1. Nintendo have executed in all probability the smartest thing that they will.”
“This time subsequent 12 months, it will not be a fear in any respect for anyone,” he provides. “This time subsequent 12 months there will be full Switch 2 video games popping out.”