If we also include Switch-exclusive games for Switch 2 and PS4-exclusive games for PS5 - since both Switch 2 and PS5 have backwards compatibility with nearly the entire library of their previous generation - then the contrast becomes even greater in favor of Nintendo exclusives:
They make more games than the largest employer Ubisoft despite having half the the employees.
It won't be surprising if the Switch 2 having built in mouse support gets the type of 3rd party exclusives that never really flourished on consoles but do flourish on pc.
Ahead of its August launch on the Switch 2, NIS America and Happinet have this week announced the upcoming strategy RPG "Brigandine: Abyss" will be getting an eShop demo. This demo will go live later this month on 30th July 2026 and will allow you to experience the first two seasons of the "Gran Dragnica and Scarlet Will" story campaigns.
Lots of information about the upcoming new Spyro game, releasing spring 2027, and its dev team:
Spyro: A Realm Beyond gets lots of details – flight mechanics, development, more
Kinda Funny Games recently conducted a lengthy interview with a couple of developers from Toys for Bob to talk about Spyro: A Realm Beyond. Studio head Paul Yan and associate creative director Lou Studdert participated in the discussion.
A bunch of details about the game were shared, including information about flight mechanics, the project’s development, and much more. A summary of everything discussed can be found below, courtesy of nicoreese.
Vision for Spyro The new Spyro is the team’s dream project. The character is based on the original trilogy: tone, personality, and voice; not a reboot like Legend of Spyro. The game is an evolution of the franchise, exploring new locations and expanding the narrative. Every Spyro game should have charm, memorable characters, fluid movement, and exploration. Gems remain a very important part of the experience. They are leaning heavily into the fantasy of being a dragon.
Exploration & Flight Players can explore both on the ground and in the air – the choice is theirs. Dragon flight is a core addition to Spyro’s movement kit. Flight was the cornerstone of the project from the beginning, with the world designed around it. Flying builds upon the fluid controls and animations from Spyro Reignited Trilogy and adds new ways to explore rather than replacing ground movement. Levels feature significantly more verticality and layered environments to support flight. The goal is for players to see distant locations and think, “How do I get there?” by combining abilities and environmental interactions. They don’t want the game to feel like a flight simulator.
Flight mechanics Flight is fully active rather than automatic. Players must flap Spyro’s wings to maintain speed and momentum. Diving increases speed. Flame breath can ignite campfires to create lift. Sky rings provide speed boosts. The challenge comes from chaining these mechanics together to stay airborne. Spyro’s flame breath has greater range while flying, functioning more like fireballs, whereas on the ground it behaves more like a flamethrower.
Design Philosophy Spyro is about zen-like, fluid movement through beautiful worlds. This is fundamentally different from Crash’s precision platforming. The studio loves creating colorful characters with exceptional controls. There were few games to draw inspiration from for this type of flight system, so much of it required pioneering new ideas.
Relationship to Skylanders Nothing carries over from Skylanders besides lessons the team learned about humor. The two series exist in completely separate universes.
Development Development has been underway for a little over two years. The team feels confident about a Spring 2027 release. Their preferred development cycle is around 2–3 years. They describe themselves as a nimble, efficient studio with strong scope management. There were moments where the project became over-scoped, requiring difficult cuts to stay on budget and schedule.
Toys for Bob & Independence The team originally wanted to work on Spyro but was assigned to Crash Bandicoot 4. They later pitched a new Spyro game to Xbox alongside their proposal to become an independent studio. Transitioning to independence was smooth, although establishing the new company required significant work. They had a strong relationship with Activision, but the pandemic changed priorities. The studio was required to support projects like Warzone and Overwatch 2. Toys for Bob eventually split into multiple teams and felt they were moving away from the types of games they loved making. After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision, they sought independence to focus on those games again. Xbox leadership supported this decision. The studio operates fully remotely, having shipped Crash Bandicoot 4, Crash Team Rumble, and their support work on Warzone remotely.
Choosing Spyro The team has many original ideas. Spyro was chosen because it made the strongest business case, particularly due to its sales history. They prefer working with established characters because timeless franchises come with passionate existing audiences.
Crash Team Rumble Crash Team Rumble was not created because of the live-service trend. The concept was prototyped before Crash Bandicoot 4. The goal was to make a Crash spinoff that still felt like Crash rather than another racing game.
The Future of 3D Platformers They believe 3D platformers are experiencing a resurgence. Examples mentioned include Astro Bot and the Rayman remake. Spyro and Crash have very different gameplay philosophies, making another crossover game difficult. The team are huge fans of Banjo-Kazooie and would love to work on the series if given the opportunity, describing those games as timeless.
Spyro: A Realm Beyond is slated for Spring 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2.
OT1 and OT2 are getting Switch 2 versions on October 1st!
Square Enix, in collaboration with ACQUIRE studio, has released versions of Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler II for Nintendo Switch 2 on the Japanese Nintendo eShop. Each game costs 5,478 yen, and a bundle of both projects is available for 6,820 yen.
In Western markets, both games will go on sale on October 1. Each game will be available in both digital format and on physical media as a key card for $59.99. In addition, a digital collection with two games will also be available. In Japan, a physical edition of the bundle on a key card will be released on the same day.
The Nintendo Switch 2 versions received technical improvements, including increased image resolution and an increased frame rate. However, the developers confirmed that saves from the original Nintendo Switch versions cannot be transferred. Also, owners of the games on the first Switch will not be offered a paid or free upgrade to the new console version.
The first Octopath Traveler debuted on Nintendo Switch in July 2018, and was later released on PC, Stadia, Xbox One, and PlayStation. Octopath Traveler II first launched in February 2023 on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and later appeared on Xbox consoles.
On July 07 2026 20:15 AmericanUmlaut wrote: I've just downloaded GRIS and I'm looking forward to giving it a shot. I happen to be on a long vacation with my family on the North Sea, and a new game to try out is just the thing. Thank you!
My pleasure! Neither game is super long, and they both feel like just the right amount of time to tell their respective stories.
We spent a chunk of a day playing through Gris and are most of the way through (I think). It's incredible! It's not very challenging, but as a piece of art it's one of the most compelling games I've played. Beautiful, atmospheric, moving. We all love it. Thanks so much for the great recommendation!
On July 07 2026 20:15 AmericanUmlaut wrote: I've just downloaded GRIS and I'm looking forward to giving it a shot. I happen to be on a long vacation with my family on the North Sea, and a new game to try out is just the thing. Thank you!
My pleasure! Neither game is super long, and they both feel like just the right amount of time to tell their respective stories.
We spent a chunk of a day playing through Gris and are most of the way through (I think). It's incredible! It's not very challenging, but as a piece of art it's one of the most compelling games I've played. Beautiful, atmospheric, moving. We all love it. Thanks so much for the great recommendation!
Glad you're enjoying it! I feel the same way about that game
PS - If you also play Neva, the intro / cinematic scene before you start playing might make someone tear up! Brace yourself for some feels.
Final Fantasy Resonance - another HD-2D marvel - is coming October 22nd! I wonder if it'll be as good as the Octopath franchise. The trailer looks great:
why are people whining about the Switch2 getting a price drop? This is the free market in action. I think a price drop is great. This price drop is the proper, rational reaction. I think Nintendo's Prez is far better than Sarah Bond and Phil Spencer... he is also better than the 3 ring crypto circus at Sony Bank. Yes, you see Sony is primarily a Bank that happens to make a video game console.
Demand for the Switch 2 is weak. The market is reacting appropriately. The consumers win.
A new Castlevania sounds awesome, and a new Katamari game is great news, too. It's amazing how many great titles are hitting the Switch in such quick succession. But of a bummer, though. When I was a kid and had all the time in the world to play NES and SNES, I couldn't afford more than a few games a year and missed tons of great games. Now I can afford to buy every game on the console if I feel like it, and don't have the time to play through more than a few games a year.
Jurassic World Evolution 2: Complete Edition is being launched on Switch 2 at the end of this month.
"Frontier Developments (RollerCoaster Tycoon, LostWinds, Planet Zoo) is bringing Jurassic World Evolution 2 to Switch 2 in Complete Edition form on 30th July.
The follow-up to Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition, which launched on Switch back in 2020, this second entry in the park-planning and dino-management series is following the same CE pattern, bundling everything added to the base game since its 2021 PC and (other) console launch, including "every piece of DLC released". ...
Jurassic World Evolution 2 delivers an entertaining if simplistic park builder that well-utilises the Jurassic World license, and throws in just the right amount of dinosaur-fuelled mayhem to boot."
On July 17 2026 18:48 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Jurassic World Evolution 2: Complete Edition is being launched on Switch 2 at the end of this month.
"Frontier Developments (RollerCoaster Tycoon, LostWinds, Planet Zoo) is bringing Jurassic World Evolution 2 to Switch 2 in Complete Edition form on 30th July.
The follow-up to Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition, which launched on Switch back in 2020, this second entry in the park-planning and dino-management series is following the same CE pattern, bundling everything added to the base game since its 2021 PC and (other) console launch, including "every piece of DLC released". ...
Jurassic World Evolution 2 delivers an entertaining if simplistic park builder that well-utilises the Jurassic World license, and throws in just the right amount of dinosaur-fuelled mayhem to boot."
I get that JWE3 might be hard on a console (well sw2 has the mouse thing so it might work) but why is it that JWE2 arrives only when 3 is already available elsewhere?
On July 17 2026 18:48 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Jurassic World Evolution 2: Complete Edition is being launched on Switch 2 at the end of this month.
"Frontier Developments (RollerCoaster Tycoon, LostWinds, Planet Zoo) is bringing Jurassic World Evolution 2 to Switch 2 in Complete Edition form on 30th July.
The follow-up to Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition, which launched on Switch back in 2020, this second entry in the park-planning and dino-management series is following the same CE pattern, bundling everything added to the base game since its 2021 PC and (other) console launch, including "every piece of DLC released". ...
Jurassic World Evolution 2 delivers an entertaining if simplistic park builder that well-utilises the Jurassic World license, and throws in just the right amount of dinosaur-fuelled mayhem to boot."
I get that JWE3 might be hard on a console (well sw2 has the mouse thing so it might work) but why is it that JWE2 arrives only when 3 is already available elsewhere?
Good question, and I have no idea! Maybe JWE3 will arrive on... the Nintendo Switch 3 when JWE4 comes out lol.
EPT
