The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct felt like a massive statement from Nintendo about its approach to third-party games on the Switch 2, and this is something that Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledges in the company's latest earnings call.
During last month's flurry of Nintendo Switch 2 news, the likes of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Street Fighter 6, Elden Ring, and even a brand new exclusive from FromSoftware called The Duskbloods were all confirmed as upcoming Switch 2 games. Among the third-party announcements was a massive block from 2K Games (which is owned by Take-Two, as is Rockstar Games), confirming that Borderlands 4, Civilization 7, and future installments of the NBA 2K and WWE 2K series are coming to the console.
Zelnick speaks about the announcements during the earnings call, and talks about being a third-party publisher for Nintendo. "Historically, being a third-party in the Nintendo business has been a bit challenging. I think Nintendo has been very forthcoming in addressing that" Zelnick says.
However, the blame can't entirely be put in Nintendo's lap; all you need to do is look at Digital Foundry's breakdown of WWE 2K18 on Switch to see that. But Zelnick seemingly acknowledged this too, saying, "we're stepping up too, because we have great optimism for the platform."
Of course, the question on everyone's minds is will GTA 6 come to Nintendo Switch 2 down the line, and while he didn't mention this directly, Zelnick did talk about the process behind what games will come to Nintendo's handheld.
"In terms of what we would bring to any platform, we address it on a case-by-case basis. We obviously want to be where the consumers are, but you know, we would not necessarily bring every title to every platform," he explains.
Nintendo Switch 2 is arguably "the most important product launch in video game history," analysts say, who reckon it will have sold 100 million in its first 5 years.
