Bethesda talks bringing their games to Nintendo Switch and being in it for the long haul

If anything has been made clear with the Nintendo Switch, it's that third party support is not just a focus, but a reality for the platform. Bethesda, one of the largest publishers and developers in the world, is clearly in Nintendo's corner. And in a new interview with VentureBeat, VP of Marketing and Communications, Pete Hines says that the company isn't just focused on the here and now, but on building a "relationship" with Nintendo and its fans.

When asked about the demand for Bethesda games on a Nintendo platform, Hines said:

We haven’t done anything on a Nintendo platform in forever. Breath of the Wild being the runaway colossal hit that it is, there’s certainly some belief like, “Hey, if you like open-world RPGs where you can explore and do what you want, Skyrim might be a good fit for you.” I don’t know what the exact size is, but some number of people who own Switches have never played Skyrim before. It’s a new thing for them, and for folks who have played the game, the ability to take it on the road—you’re going on a trip or commuting to work, it’s a great time.

And Doom is a completely different kind of game from what everyone else is doing. It’s a very visceral, violent, bloody, fun first-person shooter. We’re excited. They both have their place in what’s going on with that platform.

Hines stated that he also believes that Skyrim, DOOM, and Wolfenstein II can sell well on the Nintendo platform, but did admit that there might need to be some "education" on "'why these games are cool and fun.'"

"There’s some amount of—this is new to folks. We have to introduce it to them and explain what it is. It’s the same with Doom. There is some crossover, but there’s also a new audience that isn’t sure what these games are," said Hines.

Hines also revealed that discussions with Nintendo have been "constant" in regards to Bethesda's "approach to the platform going forward." This means that even after Skyrim, DOOM, and Wolfenstein II, Bethesda won't be done releasing games on Nintendo Switch.

Said Hines:

"We’re obviously excited about these two games, but it’s not as if we’re going to just do these two games and that’s it. We want this to be the start of a relationship that we build with Nintendo and Nintendo fans." 

Indeed the future looks bright for third party support on Nintendo Switch, and hopefully, the rest of the industry can find a way to follow suit. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for Nintendo Switch will release on November 17th, 2017 while DOOM is expected to follow sometime in December. Wolfenstein II will arrive on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2018.

[VentureBeat]