It goes without saying that the Nintendo Switch has been a massive success for the company ever since it was launched earlier this year, managing to exceed the Big N's own sales expectations. In fact, the positive reception to the console/handheld hybrid has come as a surprise to some, the latest being Electronic Arts executive vice president Patrick Soderlund, who said that he was "puzzled" by the system.

In a new interview with Edge Magazine, Soderlund admitted that he was "a little" surprised at how well the Nintendo Switch has performed given the underwhelming sales of the Wii U. The EA executive then revealed that he was initially "puzzled" by the console/handheld hybrid nature of the Switch when he was shown the system years prior to its launch, before lightheartedly admitting that the Big N clearly "understands something" he didn't.

“It’s doing really well, which I love. But I’ll be honest, when they first showed it to me years ago, I didn’t get the concept, I was puzzled by it. But then I was like, it’s Nintendo. They probably understand something that I don’t [laughs]. They usually do."

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Of course, Soderlund was eventually won over by the Switch (thanks in part to his four-year-old son) and now EA plans on supporting the platform, starting with FIFA 18. Soderlund isn't the only video game company executive to be impressed by the Big N's new console. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has sung praises about the Switch in the past, saying that he was impressed with Nintendo's vision for its new system.

While fans will be happy to hear that EA has expressed interest in supporting the Switch, it has been confirmed that this upcoming version of FIFA 18 will lack several features of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, primarily due to the Switch's lower-end hardware compared to its competitors. Having said that, this could be the start of more EA titles for the Switch but it ultimately depends on if FIFA 18 performs well on Nintendo's new console.

It remains to be seen how many copies of the Switch version of FIFA 18 will sell, but given the success of Capcom's own Switch test with Ultra Street Fighter 2, the signs are looking promising for EA. So, Soderlund may soon be glad he got over his puzzlement over the Big N's latest platform.

The Nintendo Switch is available now.

Source: Edge Magazine (via Nintendo Insider)