Rockstar Games is the master of making its beloved fans tremble in anticipation, launching huge gaps in the release calendar while polishing off titles and updates.
For good reason, the high-quality releases that leave the Rockstar shipyard are few and far between, epitomising the ethos of ‘quality over quantity’.
But if you asked most fans, they’d prefer not to wait over a decade for the next Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption game moving forward.
That’s the consensus of the console players anyway, as GTA 6 lands on Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5 in just over a month’s time – those on other platforms will need to stay patient for even longer.
Especially if you’re a Switch user hoping to take GTA 6 on the road, as Rockstar Games has shared little to no updates as to whether the gargantuan and ambitious title will be ported to the handheld console.
However, Nintendo of America president Devon Pritchard has now put the entire onus on Rockstar, insinuating that they are ready to strike a bargain if the Grand Theft Auto developer wants to reach more fans.
Nintendo president prompts Rockstar to give us a GTA 6 Switch update
In an interview with Variety, Pritchard teased that Nintendo is waiting for a call from Rockstar Games to begin activating a GTA 6 Switch port.
“That’s going to be a conversation for Take-Two and Rockstar, but nothing to announce on my end at this time,” he said.
The president was keen to reiterate that “very immersive experiences” are on the way to the Nintendo console, with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timeremake coming in the same month as GTA 6, which will serve as a very interesting competition for attention.
This statement of intent flipped all responsibility onto the developers; if a Switch 2 port isn’t planned, it’s all Rockstar’s fault.
The power of the Switch has always been a stumbling point for getting Rockstar’s huge games onto the platform, but the sequel title has proven to be capable of running massive RPGs.
Resident Evil Requiem and Cyberpunk 2077 has led that charge in recent years, being exemplarary releases without any major platform-induced flaws.
Hoping to avoid the Red Dead treatment
Currently, Rockstar has only released the original Red Dead Redemption and the first three GTA titles on Nintendo Switch, steering clear of the bigger, modern releases.
But even getting Red Dead on the handheld console was a struggle. Having launched the Switch in 2017 (seven years after Rockstar’s game debuted), it took six years for the title to receive a Nintendo port, which included the base single-player campaign and the Undead Nightmare horror expansion.
Rockstar has consistently avoided the temptation to create a Switch port for RDR2and GTA V, though, leaving fans waiting nearly ten years for an on-the-road adaptation.
Nintendo clearly seems open to bringing these games to their platform, but it’s all on whether Rockstar values putting so much support into a new port, considering the genre of users stereotypically prefer cute sims over brutal bank heists.
Maybe, just maybe, GTA 6‘s mass hype will drive the developers to consider a second ‘Trilogy edition’, focusing on GTA 4, GTA 5, and GTA 6. Although that will be one behemoth bundle…
Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games
