EAPublisher EA has suggested that when it comes to bringing its vast library of games to consoles, people just aren’t that into the idea of playing those games on the Nintendo Switch.
Personally, I have a hard time believing this. Off the top of my head, I’d suggest that The Sims, Command & Conquer, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age would all do brilliantly if re-released for Nintendo’s home console/portable hybrid – I mean, there has to be a reason other publishers keep announcing Switch ports, right?
EAUnfortunately, EA clearly doesn’t share the same belief in the Switch as the likes of Bethesda and CD Projekt. CEO Andrew Wilson explained during a Q&A session with investors (via Kotaku) why we haven’t seen The Sims on Nintendo’s machine yet, despite the fact that’s something I think we can all agree everyone would get on board with.
Wilson said:
Any time we’re evaluating platform conversations, we are really looking at a couple of things. One, does the game really fit the profile of that platform in terms of the control or the community ecosystem? Two, do we think the community playing on that platform would appreciate the game to go there? Or would they prefer to play it somewhere else?
The CEO said that EA’s data shows that the majority of Switch owners also own a PS4, Xbox One, or PC, and that the majority “very often choose the play the games that we make on those platforms even though they have a Switch.”
I would suggest that the reason for this is that the few games EA has bothered to port to the Switch so far haven’t exactly been that well-suited to the console, and were ported over with all the care and grace of a hurried crap in a service station toilet.
EAThe Switch version of FIFA 19, for example, was a mess lacking all manner of features that were in the other versions of the game. With that in mind, who wouldn’t want to play a superior version on another console?
According to the official EA website, the publisher has released a total of four games on Nintendo Switch in the two and a half years the console has been out – two FIFA games and two indies. Honestly, I don’t think that’s anywhere near enough data for the company to decide that people don’t want EA games on Switch.
Bear in mind this is also the company that declared single player games were dead in 2017, the same year that Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Persona 5 all released within about a week of each other and absolutely dominated conversations for the rest of the year.
EAAs a result, despite the fact that The Sims would be absolutely perfect for the Nintendo Switch, it doesn’t look like it’ll ever see the light of the day. Maybe we’ll have more luck with those upcoming Command & Conquer remasters.
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Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.