The PS5 and Xbox Series X are on the horizon – and while both gaming machines promise a massive jump in graphical capability, one developer still thinks the humble Nintendo Switch will be home to ports from these next-generation consoles.
How is that possible? Developer Virtuos, which has been behind multiple high-profile ports to the Nintendo Switch – including L.A. Noire, Dark Souls Remastered, and soon The Outer Worlds – has made it clear that it expects to see PS5 games and Xbox Series X games land on the Switch too.
In an interview with Maxi-Geek, Virtuos vice president Elijah Freeman says that, “With the launch of the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 this year, developers need to strategize and plan for the game experience to be consistent across all platforms. At Virtuos we are charged up and full of talent that is ready to help bring these new games to the Nintendo Switch.”
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For real, though?
It will be a surprising sentiment for many, given that the Nintendo Switch console is broadly considered to be underpowered compared to the Xbox One and PS4 – let alone their next-gen successors.
However, the Switch has already been home to numerous ports that surprised us, such as The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim or Doom (and one day its sequel Doom Eternal). Back in 2019, Virtuous CEO Gilles Langourieux went on record as saying that the dev was “pushing the limits of what is possible on Switch" (via GamesIndustry.biz).
Ports of PS5 games would surely necessitate an even bigger graphical disparity, though – and it may be the case that we’ll need to get a new Nintendo Switch hardware refresh before this happens.
In the Maxi-Geek interview, Tom Crago of Tantalus Media – which developed the ports of Sonic Mania and Rime for the Switch – adds that, “Our plan is to support [the Nintendo Switch] as long as possible”.
Given Virtuous has worked on ports from the likes of FromSoftware and Rockstar, our curiosity is immediately peaked as to whether there are already early conversations over ports of upcoming next-gen games. Switch ports won’t happen until next-gen games launch, of course, so we may be scratching our heads for a while yet to see how and when this will come about.
For Switch owners, though, the future looks a little brighter – even in the shadow of the upcoming Xbox Series X and PS5.
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