Nintendo Switch games lineup: EA promises a "big" release and we think we know what it is
Will you be able to play Battlefield 1 on the Nintendo Switch when it is released in March 2017? What about Titanfall 2 and Madden NFL 17? Nintendo could launch the Switch with some big third-party games, or we might just be stuck playing Mario and other in-house titles yet again.
Speaking at the UBS Global Technology Conference in San Francisco, Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgensen revealed that the company plans to support the Nintendo Switch with one or two games, GameSpot reports. He added that these will be ports of current titles, not games developed specifically for the Switch.
Jorgensen didn't say which games in particular, but he hinted that the ports would be one of EA's "bigger" games. That suggests it could be one of the publisher's triple-A blockbuster games and have a few ideas which one will show up on the Switch.
Nintendo Switch games lineup: Will online multiplayer be good enough for EA?
The chief selling point for the Nintendo Switch is the ability to quickly transform the console from a traditional game system hooked up to a television into a portable console for gaming on the go. The Nintendo Switch reveal trailer also shows gameplay seamlessly transfer between a television and the portable screen built into the Switch. We're meant to believe that you can start playing a game at home and then take it on the road to continue your session uninterrupted.
So we look at the blockbuster video games released by EA and assess how well they'd work on a portable console. That pretty much eliminates Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2 and any EA Sports game you could think of.
Nintendo Switch games lineup: EA probably won't port these triple-A titles
The issue comes down to how stable your internet connection could possibly be while taking the Nintendo Switch on the road. Even a few milliseconds of lag in Battlefield 1 or Titanfall 2 can lead to your opponent getting off the first shot in a duel and killing you. Hardwired internet connections are faster on average than wireless connections. So serious competitive players will always hardwire their PCs or consoles if possible.
If serious players aren't even fond of a wifi connection at home that may have a strong signal and be very stable, imagine how those players would deal with the vagaries of trying to tether a Nintendo Switch to a smartphone when 4G —or even 5G — signal strengths are going in and out. If someone is going to play Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2 or Madden they're likely going to play it on a PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Not on the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo Switch games lineup: Mass Effect: Andromeda is the best for EA
Role-playing games, on the other hand, are primarily single-player experiences. Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition may offer cooperative multiplayer, but the heart of both games is the deep stories and wide cast of characters in their campaigns.
EA's upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda will also feature a multiplayer mode, meaning it may not work very well on the Nintendo Switch. The single-player campaign in Mass Effect: Andromeda, however, is something you ought to be able to play smoothly even while switching from your television to the portable screen.
It's also worth noting that the reveal trailer for the Nintendo Switch clearly featured The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a single-player RPG. Bethesda Softworks, publisher of the Elder Scrolls games, has backed off on any promises that Skyrim will actually appear on the Nintendo Switch. The trailer at least suggests that RPGs might work for the Switch, and Mass Effect: Andromeda is the next RPG on EA's radar.
