Blizzard’s Rod Fergusson recently claimed in a podcast interview that the Nintendo Switch 2’s live service capabilities aren’t suited for Diablo IV. His comments left many Nintendo fans confused, especially since games like Fortnite already run well on the original Switch. Does he have a point?
Nintendo Switch 2 Can’t Handle Diablo IV?
In the April 21 episode of Gamertag Radio, Rod Fergusson sat down with the podcast to discuss the current state of Diablo IV, including future plans for the game. However, during the discussion, the Blizzard developer was asked about Diablo IV eventually being brought to the Nintendo Switch 2. While Fergusson praised the new console for being able to run the game, he was less enthusiastic about its live service capabilities.
“It’s nice that the Switch 2 has the the performance that can run a game like Diablo IV. So yeah it’s something to look at for sure. The challenge is less about the hardware. Live services on Switch have been a little bit challenging in the past. So I’m hopeful as they launch in June, and we look towards the future, it becomes easier and easier so it makes more sense to put a live service on that platform.”
Interestingly, Rod Fergusson seemed intrigued when the show’s host brought up how well the Nintendo Switch 2 emulates keyboard and mouse with its new Joy-Con features. So who knows—perhaps we could see Diablo IV eventually land on the Nintendo Switch 2 someday. It’s worth pointing out that Fergusson was actually quite positive about the new Nintendo console, and we still don’t know exactly what “challenges” they’ve faced in the past with the Switch’s live service.
Nintendo Fans Are Confused Over Diablo IV Snub
Following the interview, some Nintendo fans pushed back against the Blizzard developer’s stance on the Switch 2. After all, Diablo III is already available on the portable console. Plus, the Switch has hosted a handful of major “live service” games, such as Fortnite and Blizzard’s own Overwatch. Over on the gaming enthusiast forum ResetEra, Nintendo fans reacted to the interview.
One user wrote, “What’s the issue specifically? Fortnite seems to do just fine on Switch.” Another exclaimed, “Warframe is on the Switch. A F2P live service game. What is he talking about?” However, there were also users who defended Fergusson. They argued that his statement was more about live services not being as popular with Nintendo users—which, to be fair, is a perfectly reasonable stance. I recommend you read the full thread, as it’s an interesting debate.
It’s possible that the “challenges” the Blizzard dev was referring to were related to profitability or player engagement with live-service games on the handheld. Regardless, Fergusson’s statements might have come off as strange, especially since Nintendo seems to be pushing live-service hard with the Nintendo Switch 2. For example, the console’s new Discord-esque “GameChat” feature lets players video chat in groups while playing games.
I mean, heck—the Nintendo Switch 2 now has a video camera accessory and keyboard and mouse support. So on paper, Diablo IV seems like the exact type of game that would be perfect for the handheld console. It bears repeating that we don’t know what “challenges” Blizzard has faced in the past when working with the Switch, so it might be more complex than we realize. Still, it’s interesting to see a major gaming franchise be wary of making the jump to the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch.
The post Blizzard Developer Says Nintendo Switch 2 Live Service Isn’t Good Enough Yet for ‘Diablo IV’ – Nintendo Fans Push Back appeared first on VICE.
