{"id":51822,"date":"2025-09-10T14:03:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=51822"},"modified":"2025-09-10T14:03:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:03:55","slug":"developer-claims-nintendo-is-stalling-on-providing-switch-2-dev-kits-to-free-to-play-game-studios-but-that-might-not-be-the-real-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/developer-claims-nintendo-is-stalling-on-providing-switch-2-dev-kits-to-free-to-play-game-studios-but-that-might-not-be-the-real-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Developer claims Nintendo is stalling on providing Switch 2 dev kits to free-to-play game studios, but that might not be the real issue\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UFL<\/strong>, a free-to-play competitive football game developed by Strikerz, has already been out on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S since December 5, 2024, with a PC version soon to be released. CEO Eugene Nashilov says that while there are plans for a Nintendo Switch 2 version, Strikerz has yet to receive the dev kits they requested months prior.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"UFL\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to a behind-the-scenes UFL presentation attended by Football Gaming Zone<\/a> (as reported by Insider Gaming<\/a>), Nashilov claimed that Strikerz is just one of many free-to-play game studios around the world that Nintendo has been putting off providing Switch 2 development kits to. Strikerz\u2019s request for Switch 2 dev kits goes as far back as March 2025, two months after the console was officially announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Switch 2 version is not yet in development, but it will be. As of right now, Nintendo is not actively giving development kits to free-to-play developers. That\u2019s a global trend, and we\u2019re a part of that. Once we have our hands on the new device and we start working with it, then we will most likely be making a Switch 2 port.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a related note, many third-party studios that attended Gamescom 2025 confirmed that they weren\u2019t able to get Switch 2 dev kits, as reported by Digital Foundry<\/a>. Instead, they were\u00a0told by Nintendo to develop their titles for the Switch, whereupon they would be playable on the Switch 2 via backwards compatibility. Given the latter information, it is questionable whether Nintendo\u2019s reluctance to provide dev kits is based on titles being free-to-play, but rather a result of more large-scale guidelines.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, Wccftech<\/a> has reported that Nintendo is becoming pickier about only approving games that will bring value to the platform and make use of the Switch 2\u2019s superior capabilities. As such, simple ports (even those published by existing partners), are not automatically approved and do not guarantee access to a dev kit. These kinds of factors could also be play a role in UFL\u2019s delay and other similar cases, although the details remain unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles:\u00a0Stellar Blade developer Shift Up acquires Switch 2 dev kit<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nintendo Switch 2 game-key cards not eligible for preservation by Japan\u2019s National Diet Library, officials say<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CEO of UFL developer Strikers has implied that Nintendo is witholding dev kits from free-to-play game developers on a global level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":51824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[33],"class_list":["post-51822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-nintendo"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeveloper claims Nintendo is stalling on providing Switch 2 dev kits to free-to-play game studios, but that might not be the real issue\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CEO of UFL developer Strikers has implied that Nintendo is witholding dev kits from free-to-play game developers on a global level.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/developer-claims-nintendo-is-stalling-on-providing-switch-2-dev-kits-to-free-to-play-game-studios-but-that-might-not-be-the-real-issue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Developer claims Nintendo is stalling on providing Switch 2 dev kits to free-to-play game studios, but that might not be the real issue\u00a0 - 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