"You need to give consumers what they want and optimize their experience, and you can't not deliver a feature you're able to deliver so as to maximize sales. That isn't fulfilling your contract with consumers. You have to do the very best you can for them. I suppose it's possible the lack of backward compatibility could enhance your revenue for a period of time, but at what cost," questioned Zelnick. "We're not a hardware manufacturer so we don't get to make those decisions. But I think if you can be compatible technically, then you want to be. However, in certain instances if the leap forward is great enough, that's not a possibility."
When it launched, the Nintendo Switch offered no backwards compatibility with previous games, despite the fact that the Wii U and 3DS were both compatible with their predecessors. However, in Switch's case, it made sense: the console moved away from the discs that the Wii U used, and 3DS compatibility would have been difficult to pull off with the Switch's single screen. Instead, Switch has seen a number of enhanced ports for 3DS and Wii U titles, including Miitopia, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, and the upcoming remaster of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
While some publishers might not like it, backwards compatibility has become something of an industry standard, allowing for easier generational shifts for players. We already know Nintendo is looking to do that by keeping Nintendo Accounts around for the next system, so backwards compatibility would seem to be in keeping with that theme. With Nintendo Switch 2 rumored to release in the second half of 2024, it's likely we'll have official information on the system sooner, rather than later!
Posted:
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion
Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/nintendo-switch-2-backwards-compatibility-concerns-take-two-strauss-zelnick/
"Take-Two Boss Addresses Nintendo Switch 2 Backwards Compatibility" :: Login/Create an Account :: 3 comments