Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter says that the chances of Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2 coming to the Nintendo Switch are "exceedingly poor."
When Red Dead Redemption 2 had its release date announced, many were surprised to see that Rockstar Games would only be releasing it on PS4 and Xbox One. With the Nintendo Switch being unveiled just an hour before the debut trailer for the game was shown, many gamers expected the title to be available on the device, also mentioning how great it would be to take on the Wild West on the go with the aid of the Switch's tablet.
But while some are still holding out hope for an eventual Red Dead Redemption 2 Switch port, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter doesn't think that it will ever happen. Speaking to GamingBolt, the infamous industry figure said that "the chances of [Red Dead Redemption 2 on the Switch] are exceedingly poor, adding:
"I can’t remember any game other than – there was a GTA made for the DS, which came out in 2009. I’d be really surprised if they wasted their effort to port anything for Nintendo. I just think that Nintendo has wandered too far away from the mainstream for most of the publishers, so you’re just not getting mainstream games produced for Nintendo consoles- not ones made for other consoles, at any rate."
On the one hand, Pachter's analysis makes a bit of sense. Nintendo's stock dropped following the Switch reveal as investors just weren't convinced that the console would be a surefire seller, reversing the poor sales trend of the Wii U. There are also lots of Switch features that haven't been revealed yet, fueling that uncertainty. Rockstar may not want to take the risk of porting RDR 2 to the Switch if it's not entirely certain that the console will be a success and their effort won't be "wasted."
On the other hand, the Nintendo Switch has lots of third-party support, including support from (Rockstar Games parent company) Take-Two. Nintendo hasn't yet confirmed the full list of Switch launch titles, but NBA 2K17 was featured in the console's announcement trailer, meaning that Take-Two has at least thought about releasing one of its biggest mainstream titles on the platform.
Either way, this isn't the last time people will hear about Red Dead Redemption 2 platform controversies. Disappointed that an RDR 2 PC release may not happen, gamers have already launched a petition to make it a reality. Who knows if Rockstar and Take-Two are listening and are considering bringing the game to more than PS4 and Xbox One, but gamers are eager for it to happen, that's for sure.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is currently scheduled to release sometime in fall 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Source: GamingBolt