During the Nintendo Direct presentation on Wednesday, September 13, there were many games that fans expected to show up. What fans didn’t see coming were the announcements of two popular Bethesda games coming to the Nintendo Switch. Wolfenstein II and Doom are both making their way to the portable console, but the reveal left people wondering what sort of downgrades will occur in order to make it work.
In a conversation between Bethesda and Engadget, it was revealed that the Switch port of Doom will feature all the updates and DLC that were released for the original game. The one exception is the SnapMap level editor.
SnapMap, like many other level editors, allowed players on the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One to create custom maps. Within these maps, designers could edit the game logic to create new gameplay experiences. These maps could then be shared with other players around the world regardless of platform.
When the Switch port releases later this year, players will miss out on various user-generated maps and modes that expanded the main game. In addition to this limitation, the physical cartridge will only include the single-player campaign due to size limitations. For those looking to play online multiplayer, they will need to download a free update to obtain the remaining content. Players who purchase digital-only copies of Doom will get the whole package at once.
Doom and Wolfenstein II are the first AAA current-gen titles to port to the Nintendo Switch. Bringing two games from the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 to a less powerful platform shows that third-party developers are becoming optimistic about the Switch’s sales and are beginning to take it seriously.
Bethesda appears to show a lot of support for the Switch as the firm now has three major titles being ported over. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was first teased during the initial reveal trailer for the console. Since then, it has been revealed that the port will feature motion controls, Zelda-themed armor, and Amiibo functionality.
The Nintendo Switch port of 2016’s Doom releases later this year. Wolfenstein II will launch on Nintendo’s console sometime in 2018 after the game’s primary release on October 27 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
