Independent Game Developers Facing Challenges in Securing Nintendo Switch 2 Development Tools – Report

A new report suggests that many AA and indie studios have been unable to secure development kits for Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of its launch this June.

Several game developers from AA and indie studios spoke to The Game Business, who revealed their complaints in a recent newsletter. “New console audiences are often willing to try new things at the start, so we were desperate to get our hands on dev kits early. Nintendo has finally responded to us, but we still don’t think we’ll get anything for a few months,” a AA game studio co-founder told The Game Business.

Generally, the developers The Game Business spoke to didn’t seem to think a large bump for indie games would arrive alongside the Switch 2 launch. They’re still hoping to learn more about the process of acquiring a Switch 2 development kit from Nintendo now that more information about the system is public knowledge.

These comments suggest Nintendo was particularly selective about which third-party studios it allowed to develop games for the Switch 2 at first. The Switch 2 Direct confirmed several third-party launch titles, but many were AAA titles from companies like From Software, CD Projekt Red, and WB Games. On the indie-game front, Deltarune and Fast Fusion are the only indies confirmed for launch day right now.

Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5. Preorders go live April 9.