First-person shooter and Blizzard Entertainment fans alike are hoping to hear some Overwatch Switch news. Is Overwatch coming to the Nintendo Switch and, if so, what of any Overwatch Switch release date rumors? It’s been requested by fans ever since the debut of the console, and Blizzard Entertainment isn’t entirely against the idea.
First, some history. Overwatch was initially revealed at Blizzcon in 2014. One year later, it made its debut in a closed beta that lasted for a little over six months. The Overwatch beta had a few interesting differences from the game we know and love today; among them was the inclusion of an energy shield for Bastion while deployed. (As if it wasn’t hard enough to kill him now!)
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After the Overwatch beta concluded, the game was released to the world for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. At the time, there wouldn’t have been any Overwatch Switch news; the console simply wasn’t available for purchase yet. (The Nintendo Switch would later be launched in March of 2017, nearly a year after the official launch of Overwatch.)
It’s been more than two years since the release of the Nintendo Switch and more than three years since the launch of Overwatch. By now, fans were hoping to have heard something substantial in the way of Overwatch Switch news, but both Blizzard Entertainment and Nintendo have been relatively quiet on the matter. Thankfully, it seems like we may have hit a turning point for getting this great game on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console.
Overwatch Switch Release Date Rumors
Blizzard Entertainment and Nintendo have already collaborated on the Nintendo Switch version of Diablo III. Does that mean that some good Overwatch Switch news is coming? It may very well be! There’s even more reason to be excited now that the Nintendo Switch Lite has been revealed, adding yet another reason for Blizzard to work on a port.
Blizzard Entertainment President J. Allen Brack had an interview with VentureBeat in which he addressed the topic:
“We’re super-happy. Nintendo’s been a great partner,” Mr. Brack said. “We’re a fan of that platform, a fan of Nintendo, a fan of the Nintendo IP, a fan of the Switch. It’s a really good platform and it’s really fun to play on. Different games have come about that are good experiences. Part of it is Nintendo love, plus thinking that the Diablo experience would be great on that platform. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I loved it.”
“It’s not ridiculous [to assume that more collaborations with Nintendo are coming],” he continued. “We’d like to have — we think of it as another platform. It has some unique properties that the Xbox and Sony platforms don’t have. Thinking about what games make sense for that type of console is something we’ll never stop doing.”
The question then becomes this: Is Overwatch a game that “makes sense” for this sort of console?
Overwatch Switch Handheld Portable Mode
Playing it in handheld mode certainly isn’t out of the question, at least in your own home. After all, the Nintendo Switch isn’t all that different from an Xbox One or PS4 in terms of the controls. If anyone can make it work, it’s Blizzard Entertainment.
It takes time to make a port, however, and the Nintendo Switch may present unique challenges that are going to be difficult for Blizzard Entertainment to overcome. While fans wait with bated breath for some good Overwatch Switch news, we simply cannot say for sure if or when we’re going to be able to get our hands on the game on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld. That said, Blizzard’s President certainly seems open to continuing to work together with Nintendo, and it’s difficult to ignore a game that made a billion dollars of revenue in its first year.
