Right now, the gaming industry is in a period of “shifting loyalties.” That might sound overly dramatic, but when you pay attention to the moves, both big and small, that the big-name developers and publishers are doing, you’ll see that this is truly the case. For example, you’ll notice that multiple groups are focusing not on exclusive games anymore, but going multiplatform to try and get as many sales as possible. Even Sony and Microsoft are doing that, with the former continuing to try to make live-service games their big thing. The Nintendo Switch 2 is arguably the only one that is playing the “old-school way” and is doing really well.
That includes their partners. Recently, Take-Two Interactive held a financial briefing and reported strong results. Then, in a chat with The Game Business, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick noted that when it came to the partnership with Nintendo, he felt:
“Positive. We feel pretty good about it (Switch 2). We are bringing out a number of titles for Switch 2. We are committed to the platform, and so far so good.”
Obviously, that’s not a lot to go on, but it also doesn’t need to be. There have been a few games that have launched from Take-Two Interactive onto the Switch 2 so far, but they were titles that had already been on other platforms, so results were honestly a little skewed. What will be important in the future are the titles that launch simultaneously, or close to simultaneously, so that things can be on a more level playing field.
The importance of maintaining the 3rd party relationships goes beyond just sales figures. While many aren’t playing the exclusives game anymore, there are some who still hold onto it, including Nintendo. Due to that, with the sales of the Nintendo Switch 2 being so good, setting record numbers within just 25 days, there is an incentive for companies like Take-Two to try and make exclusives for the console to capitalize on those who have been buying the system as soon as they can. When the OG Switch came out, one of its most popular games in its early years was a 3rd party title, due to it being around in the first year of the system’s release.
As the momentum for the Switch 2 continues, 3rd party developers and publishers will want to capitalize on its success, and that’s something to be on the lookout for.
