It might not be the most powerful console on the market – in fact, it’s definitely the weakest – but there’s no denying that the Nintendo Switch is a force to be reckoned with. While the big N has historically struggled when trying to attract third-party developers to join their ecosystem, their newest hybrid handheld hasn’t suffered the same fate. This year alone, the Switch has already received plenty of old and new Resident Evil games, and earlier today, CD Projekt Red confirmed what some thought impossible – Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will also be ported to the platform.
Of course, for every title which gets a second life on Switch, there are plenty that don’t make the transition. Yesterday, Square Enix pulled back the curtain on Marvel’s Avengers, which is set to release during the first half of 2020. This new action game allows players to take control of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and plenty of other heroes (though Hawkeye seems to be MIA), and will be getting free DLC (in the form of new episodes and heroes) for years to come.
While Marvel’s Avengers will be coming out on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Google’s Stadia streaming platform, it won’t be heading to Nintendo Switch, and needless to say, some fans aren’t too happy about that. In fact, you don’t have to look too hard on Twitter to find a few irate Marvel enthusiasts.
#MarvelsAvengers looks cool. Finally a new game for PC… but not Switch? Also, core campaign needs another female hero or two…
— Alan (John) Wilkinson 🇬🇧 (@Cassius335) June 11, 2019
"We're bringing Avengers to PS4….. Xbox One…… and……. PC"
Switch owners: pic.twitter.com/FNqzC0X7is
— Lily Zaldivar (@CoolCatLilyZ) June 11, 2019
Boo. Marvel Avengers won't be on Nintendo Switch but at least there's PC… I can play it on that!
— Master0fHyrule (@Master0fHyrule) June 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/peepeecloud/status/1138279456152461320
No Switch? No Thanks! 👎
Thanks #SquareEnixE3 😡
— E 🌹💙💙🌹 (@Disturbed_1ne) June 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/TrainerMark_/status/1138269235405369344
Oh, kinda was hoping the Avengers game would be on Switch, I guess it was silly to thought that. Looks fun
— Axur (@AxurEneas) June 11, 2019
Of course, there’s probably a good reason for this decision. While it’s certainly possible that the game could have been visually downgraded enough to run on the Switch’s less powerful hardware, for over a decade, Crystal Dynamics has worked on their projects using the Crystal Engine, an in-house set of tools which run on PC, Xbox and PlayStation platforms. There’s a good chance their development suite hasn’t been ported to Switch, assuming it can be at all.
Frankly, it sucks that we won’t be able to fight evil on the go, but given Marvel’s Avengers level of spectacle and graphical fidelity, maybe it’s best we experience it on the big screen. The final game is due out on May 15th, 2020, and in all likelihood, it will support both Sony and Microsoft’s enhanced, more powerful consoles.
