Nintendo Switch 2 arrived in stores last June, but it appears that at launch only a limited number of developers and studios had access to a dev kit of the console, a circumstance that could have reduced the arrival of third-party games in the last few months. Fortunately, according to insider NateDrake’s sources, the situation has now almost completely resolved.
For those who don’t know, dev kits are special versions of hardware designed exclusively for developers: they are used to create, test and optimize games before release and are therefore essential for working on a specific platform. They are normally distributed well in advance of the launch of a new console, so as to allow the teams to study it and become familiar with it before its debut in stores. In the case of Switch 2, however, it seems that several third-party studios, even prominent ones, they couldn’t get one in timeas suggested by various sources and by some direct testimonies collected by Digital Foundry.
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NateDrake, also known online as Nate the Hate, discussed the limited availability of Nintendo Switch 2 dev kits on the Famiboard forum. In addition to partially confirming the rumors of journalist Jez Corden – according to which the launch of the first Call of Duty on Switch 2 would be delayed precisely for this reason – the insider reported that the problem is now largely overcome.
“Just because a team within a company, like Activision, has access to the dev kits does not mean that the entire company and all teams had them. The fact that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 arrived on Nintendo Switch 2 in the launch window does not mean that the team bringing Call of Duty, or any other ABK game, immediately had access to the dev kits,” explained NateDrake in response to a user who criticized the rumors reported by Corden.
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“For COD, this doesn’t even mean they received a dev kit extremely late – simply late enough that they couldn’t complete the work in time to release the game sooner. The dev kit distribution situation, however, has largely been resolved.”
This is clearly information to be taken with caution, since it is not possible to verify its veracity. If confirmed, however, they would represent positive news, which could be beneficial a greater number of third-party games published simultaneously on Nintendo Switch 2 or the arrival of dedicated conversions of titles already available on the market.
