Nintendo has revealed that the Switch 2 will get its own version of Fortnite.
As originally shared by OatmealDome on Bluesky, Nintendo has updated their list of Switch games that have compatibility issues with Switch 2. Under the category Nintendo Switch games with issues that are planned to be addressed, they indicated that a Switch 2 version is planned for Fortnite. They also indicate that they will update their own game, Fitness Boxing, to resolve its issues on the upcoming console.
We originally found the list of Switch games that have issues running on the Switch 2 around the same time of the Switch 2 Direct. Nintendo then assured players that they were working on addressing these issues by working with developers. Given how big Fortnite is, not only as the head of the table in the live service space, but in the entire industry, this small update has huge implications.
There aren’t that many live service games on the original Switch, but for those games that were that successful and huge in scale, they could afford to invest in ‘impossible’ Switch ports, because they were definitely benefiting from adding another player base. On that end, Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, and Warframe all joined Fortnite in coming to the Switch.
As we have been seeing in previews of the console, third party developers are happy with the Switch 2. In particular, it seems to be easy to develop for, to the point that they are optimizing eight generation and even ninth generation games to be playable on the handheld. We believe that it will be easier for most developers to make new ports of their games on the Switch 2, instead of trying to fix whatever issues existed on the original versions on the Switch.
We had cited examples of games that just do not run at a suitable performance level on the Switch, such as Batman: Arkham Knight, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Darksiders 3, but there were also games that were much closer on the spotlight, such as Mortal Kombat One and Ark: Survival Evolved. Even some true indie games, like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, remain poor experiences on the original console.
While Nintendo did not cite these games on their list to have compatibility issues, we know that all of these games can run better on the Switch 2. And really, the approach that makes sense is the one Epic Games is going to take. We’re hopeful developers of these older games see that the opportunity is real to get these games to really come back on the Switch 2, and maybe they can just offer an upgrade fee for owners of the Switch versions.
While none of these have been decided, Epic seems to be setting a clear example that other studios would be prudent to follow.
