Todd Howard Talks Nintendo Switch
By Dalton Cooper 22 November 2016
The head of Bethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard, discusses the upcoming Nintendo Switch console, offering glowing praise for Nintendo’s innovative new system.
In the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer, one of the main points Nintendo tried to drive home was that the new system would include third-party support on top of the typical lineup of first-party exclusive games, which it accomplished by showcasing the popular third-party game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on a Nintendo Switch console. Todd Howard, the head of Skyrim publisher Bethesda, has now talked more about the Switch, and seems genuinely enthusiastic about the product – a sharp departure from Bethesda’s usual attitude about Nintendo consoles.
In the past, Bethesda has outright ignored Nintendo systems. No versions of Oblivion, Skyrim, or Fallout ever came to Wii or Wii U, but that trend looks like it will be changing with Nintendo Switch. In an interview with Glixel, Todd Howard was frank about his opinion of Nintendo Switch:
“I love it. I got to play it. I will tell you – well, maybe that’s an N.D.A. thing. One of the best demos I’ve ever seen. Probably the best demo I’ve ever seen. At E3.”
For the Nintendo faithful and fans of Bethesda games, Howard’s comments should be encouraging. Besides revealing Howard’s excitement for the device, however, his comments also point to the Switch being present at E3 in some capacity, despite Nintendo saying that it would skip E3 2016. It’s true that Nintendo didn’t showcase the device to the general public, but it appears as though it gave closed-door presentations to some lucky industry insiders like Howard, and presumably other important developers.
Howard was so impressed by his E3 demo of the Nintendo Switch that he is promising to actually develop games for it. While Skyrim might not come to Switch, future Bethesda titles could very well make their way to the new system, marking the first time a game from the company was available on a Nintendo console since the days of the NES. If Nintendo is able to close similar gaps its systems have with other notable publishers, then it may not just be blowing smoke when it comes to the Switch’s third-party support.
With Todd Howard’s stamp of approval, Nintendo Switch is building momentum nicely. However, Nintendo will need to make sure the console is ready to launch with a selection of high quality games right out of the gate, so all eyes will be on its January 12th event to see what games will make up the Switch’s launch lineup, and if any of those games are from Bethesda.
Nintendo Switch will be available in March of 2017.
Source: Glixel
