FromSoftware made a surprise appearance during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct last month to announceThe Duskbloods, a new exclusive game for Nintendo’s upcoming console. This title, which is being directed by the esteemed Japanese game designer Hidetaki Miyazaki, is pretty different from most of FromSoftware’s prior works. Instead of being a single-player Soulslike game, likeElden RingorDark Souls,The Duskbloodsis a PvPvE action RPG, in which eight players are placed on a map and tasked with competing against each other in order to obtain something called “First Blood.”
Even though some FromSoftware fans are not too thrilled with the direction that the studio is taking withThe Duskbloods, it’s still hard to deny how impressive it is that Nintendo managed to secure a FromSoftware game as a Switch 2 console exclusive. FromSoftware has frequently been labeled as one of the best developers in the gaming industry, but the company hasn’t had a major presence on Nintendo consoles up until now, as it’s instead opted to partner with platform holders like Sony and even Microsoft. The fact thatThe Duskbloodsis only going to be available on the Switch 2, then, is a promising sign that the system will get high levels of third-party support, especially when it comes to exclusives.
The Duskbloods Shows that Nintendo Switch 2’s Third-Party Support Will Likely Be Better than Ever
The last game that FromSoftware released for a Nintendo system was 2009’sYatsuhaka-Mura, a Japan-only black-and-white visual novel that was available exclusively for the Nintendo DS.
The Nintendo Switch Has Many Third-Party Games, But Not a Lot of Current-Gen AAA Titles or Exclusives
The original Nintendo Switch has received a lot of third-party games throughout the course of its lifespan, far more than the Wii U and some of Nintendo’s other consoles. However, because of the outdated nature of the system, it has missed out on a sizable number of current-gen AAA titles, particularly from publishers like EA, Activision-Blizzard, Take-Two, Bethesda, and Ubisoft. Some ofthe best multi-platform games of the last few years, likeKingdom Come: Deliverance 2,Metaphor: ReFantazio, andBaldur’s Gate 3, are not available on the Nintendo Switch simply because the console can’t run them.
Things aren’t that much better on the third-party exclusives front, either. Although the original Nintendo Switch has an insane lineup of exclusive content, most of the games that are only available on the system were made either by Nintendo itself or by companies that it frequently partners with. The majority of third-party exclusives on the Switch are from indie developers, and when it comes to AAA games, there isn’t a lot out there, aside fromtitles likeBayonetta 3,Astral Chain, andMarvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order.
Major Third-Party Developers Are Already Pledging to Release Games for the Switch 2, Including Exclusives
IfThe Duskbloodsis indicative of what players can expect regarding third-party support on the Switch 2, then many AAA exclusives like this could be released on the system in the future. Since Nintendo’s upcoming console is going to be far more powerful than the original Switch, it’ll be able to run games on par with, if not better than, a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Several third-party developers have, in fact, already announcedsome exclusives for the Switch 2, likeBravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster,Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut,Fast Fusion, andSurvival Kids.
Due to the incredible success of the first Switch, many of the industry’s biggest third-party publishers have already pledged support for the Switch 2, including those that weren’t too close with Nintendo beforehand. Ubisoft, for example, has stated that it is porting at least a half dozen games to the Switch 2. Meanwhile,Xbox has expressed interest in bringing games to Nintendo’s new consoleas part of its multi-platform plans. Although a company like Xbox probably won’t make any Switch 2 exclusives, Japanese publishers and developers, like Square Enix, Koei Tecmo, and Bandai Namco, may be interested in creating their games solely for the platform. IfThe Duskbloodsends up being successful, FromSoftware may partner up with Nintendo again in the future as well.
