Skyrim Mod Support Could Come to Nintendo Switch
By Dalton Cooper 03 February 2017
UPDATE: Best Buy Canada has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch Skyrim listing was posted in error.
Original story below:
A product listing on the Best Buy Canada website possibly leaks that The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim on Switch is the Special Edition of the game, complete with mod support.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is nearly six years old at this point, so Bethesda needed to come up with a way to convince consumers to purchase the game again on new-gen hardware. One of the ways it accomplished this was by improving the graphics and collecting all of the game’s DLC in one convenient bundle. Another way was by bringing PC mods to the console versions of the game, a revolutionary feature that seems like it will be making its way to the Switch version of Skyrim as well.
That is, if a Best Buy Canada product listing spotted by Informed Pixel is any indication. The product listing reveals that the version of Skyrim coming to the Nintendo Switch is the Special Edition that released on PS4 and Xbox One last fall, with all that game’s bells and whistles, including mod support. While the listing could have been posted in error, if it’s an accurate representation of what players can expect from Skyrim on Switch, then it confirms that Nintendo’s new console will support mods.
Console mods are a relatively new phenomenon, with Fallout 4 paving the way for other games on PS4 and Xbox One to have mods back in 2015. Mod support on PS4 and Xbox One is one thing, but Nintendo has historically had less of a focus on online gaming features in general, so if it does allow mods on the Switch, it will be a pretty big surprise.
Nintendo fans may be excited for the chance to try out mods for the Switch version of Skyrim later this year, but the feature may have some serious limitations. For one, the Nintendo Switch only has 32GB of memory, meaning those that truly want to take advantage of mods will likely have to spring for a new memory card. The Switch’s internal memory can be expanded with up to 2TB micro SDXC cards, but having to pay extra to have enough room for both games and mods could turn players off to the idea.
If Nintendo is serious about mod support, though, its odd that it chose to give its new system barely any built-in memory when compared to the competition. After all, we know that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s file size takes up nearly half of the system’s memory by itself, so large game downloads combined with other things like mod support seem like they will force hardcore gamers to purchase additional memory for the system.
While there are some roadblocks when it comes to mod support for the Nintendo Switch version of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, it’s still an exciting prospect, and shows Nintendo is serious about the Switch competing with what PS4 and Xbox One bring to the table. It also opens the door for future Nintendo Switch games to have mod support, which should give games even more replayability than they would have enjoyed otherwise.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. It will release for Nintendo Switch this fall.
