Grounded and Pentiment are the first Xbox games to come to Nintendo Switch

By Tomas Franzese February 21, 2024

Characters in Grounded game. — Xbox Game Studios

During Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, we learned about two of the Xbox Game Studios titles that are going multiplatform. The games in question are Obsidian Entertainment’s Grounded and Pentiment, and the latter will launch tomorrow on Nintendo Switch.

Earlier this year, various leaks and rumors suggested that first-party Xbox exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment could make their way over to competing platforms. Microsoft finally addressed the rumors on February 15, confirming that it planned to bring four of its first-party games to non-Xbox platforms over the course of 2024. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer wouldn’t say what any of the specific games were at the time, though, stating that “the teams that are building those games have announced plans that are not too far away.” It’s now clear that Spencer was partially referring to this Nintendo Direct, as two of the games showed up here.

If you aren’t familiar with these titles, here’s the rundown: Grounded is a 2022 survival crafting game where players control kids who were shrunk down in size and are trying to survive in a backyard. It launches for Nintendo Switch on April 16, and was the first announcement of the show. During a sizzle reel at the end of the show, we learned that Pentiment is launching on Nintendo’s hybrid console tomorrow. First released for PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2022, Pentiment is a historical narrative adventure title and yet another solid Xbox-published title, with Digital Trends’ four-star review calling it “a wonderful game that tells a thematically poignant story that anyone who likes to create will empathize with.”

Pentiment launches for Nintendo Switch tomorrow, February 22. Grounded comes to the system on April 16.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

Nintendo fans can dive into Endless Ocean Luminous this spring

A scuba diver swims beside a giant whale in Endless Ocean Luminous.

A new entry in the Endless Ocean series, Endless Ocean Luminous, was revealed at the February Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. It will be available on Nintendo Switch on May 2, 2024.

The final game highlighted in Nintendo's Partner Showcase was the latest entry in the deep-sea exploration series, titled Endless Ocean Luminous. The trailer invites players to dive deep into an underwater landscape never before seen by humans called the Veiled Sea. Perhaps borrowing some rogue-lite elements, the area is said to be unique on each dive the player makes. While what can change between dives was not explicitly stated, we do see various underwater temples, shipwrecks, undersea biomes, and over 500 species of marine life that are elements most likely to be randomized.

Gaming

Everything announced at February’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase

A bonfire rages on during a Tassing celebration in Pentiment.

Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase 2.21.2024

It's become a bit of a tradition for Nintendo to drop a Direct presentation every February. That held up this year, but not in the way that some fans expected. Rather than dropping a 40-plus minute presentation highlighting upcoming first-party games, Nintendo released a more casual Partner Showcase today. The 25-minute video, which did not air live, instead highlighted upcoming third-party releases.

Gaming

Every rumored Xbox exclusive coming to PS5 and Switch

Living room with Microsoft Xbox Series X (L) and Sony PlayStation 5 home video game consoles alongside a television and soundbar.

The video game console market is about to see its biggest shakeup since Sega stopped producing hardware. Xbox's Phil Spencer says that the company will share a "business update" with players next week outlining a new vision for the brand. That news comes after a month of rumors that claimed that some of Xbox's biggest exclusives would be coming to other platforms, including PS5 and Nintendo Switch. The unconfirmed reports sent Xbox loyalists into a panic as fans brace for a possible future where Xbox just produces software instead of physical consoles.

We don't know what's true yet, as credible reports have been lumped in with speculation. Some details seem plausible, while rumors that Xbox will stop making systems altogether are closer to educated guesses. We'll learn more in Xbox's business update, but until then, we've rounded up a list of every Xbox exclusive that's reportedly going multiplatform. Take it all with a grain of salt until Spencer and company unveil the full picture.
Starfield