Red Dead 2 isn’t on Switch because development ‘started well before’ the system was announced

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has said the reason Rockstar’s record-breaking Red Dead Redemption 2 isn’t on Nintendo’s hybrid system is due to timing.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter (thanks, VideoGamer), Fils-Aime said that while company is "absolutely" interested in having games like Red Dead Redemption 2 available on Switch, the absence of "key conversations" during development means some games "wind up" not being available on Nintendo systems.

"Absolutely. We’d love for it to be [on Nintendo Switch]," Fils-Aime said. "But again – and this is where there needs to be an understanding of just the development process – Red Dead has been in development for years, time that predated any communication of Nintendo Switch. So, from the developer’s mentality, they need to move forward and finish the game they’ve been working on and then be in a position to look at other opportunities.

"Any game from a key third-party that’s coming out now, typically that development started well before any conversations about Nintendo Switch," he added. "What happens moving forward? We’ll see. But that’s how you wind up with a situation with Red Dead not being available on our platform."

The interview also sought Fils-Aime’s views on physical versus digital sales, and queried whether or not the company is currently considering switching to digital-only games.

"Nintendo’s philosophy is we want the consumer to buy the content in the way that they want, whether it’s physically or digitally," Fils-Aime said. "Additionally, we work with our retail partners to enable them to sell the product physically or digitally. [Amazon’s] number one best-seller last time I checked was physical copies of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The number three seller was digital versions of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. So, we enable them to sell it either way, we enable the consumer to buy it either way, and from that standpoint we’re agnostic.

"Maybe what’s driving digital, broadly speaking, are things like indie games, which are largely digital-only; DLC and other added content which is digital-only; you’ve got each of the major players offering some sort of subscription program which is digital-only," he added. "These are unique elements that you can’t buy physically that help move the percentage a little bit further from a digital perspective."