The Nintendo Switch 2 offers a new opportunity for Nintendo to vastly improve on its breakout hybrid console, bringing fans the various features they've been wanting to see since the original Switch launched back in 2017. It marks an incredible moment for Nintendo fans, and also the gaming community in general, so long as the company gets it right. However, there is one major issue that plagues the Nintendo Switch that needs to be fixed, as it not only makes using the console a chore but also impacts the livelihoods of indie developers.
While there may be debate over whether Switch 2's launch games right, adding home themes to appease those that miss them from the 3DS days or overhauling its overall UI, there's plenty that the Switch 2 could do as positive PR. However, it should easily give up all of those changes in favor of fixing its greatest flaw.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Needs To Fix The Shovelware Problem
There Are Too Many Shovelware Games On The EShop
The Nintendo Switch is flooded with video games, and not necessarily in a good way, with most of the eShop taken up by low-grade shovelware. These poorly produced games, which either use store-bought assets to throw together a barely playable experience or AI to generate enticing thumbnails, rely on false advertising to lure in customers. Developers like Aldora Games, famous for its output of AI-generated games, and Halva Studio, who has released such classics as Anime Girls: Sun of a Beach, are just a few of the plethora of faceless developers dumping shovelware onto the Switch for a quick buck.
It's clear that Nintendo should do something about this, as, at the very least, it makes navigating the eShop a difficult experience and, at worst, can lead to people being scammed out of their money. The latter point is exacerbated by Nintendo's poor refund policy, of course. Games can be rejected on an individual basis, so there must be some level of quality control at Nintendo HQ, but it needs to go further. Shigeru Miyamoto spoke with the New York Times about Nintendo's approach to AI, stating:
"There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction."
However, by its own ission, it wants to have lots of games flooding the eShop, with senior executive officer at Nintendo, Susumu Tanaka, stating in 2018 that there should be "20 to 30 indie games on [the] Nintendo Switch per week." Nintendo has done too little about its ballooning eShop, nor the flood of shovelware and AI-generated content, only occasionally taking down those that brazenly violate the rules. Of the many features the Nintendo Switch 2 should have, more quality control on the games approved for sale is a priority, especially as it's not just affecting consumers but developers too.
Nintendo & Shovelware Games Actively Hurt Indie Developers
Nintendo Needs Better Regulations When It Comes To Approving Games
The fundamental problem with shovelware on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo's inability to regulate it is that it ultimately buries genuine indie games looking to make a name for themselves. With dozens of games releasing daily on the Switch and the a signficiant number of those being misleading shovelware with inflated discounts, it's no surprise that some indie developers are struggling to make money on the platform. Nintendo only exacerbates this problem, as it not only fails to prevent a cavalcade of shovelware from dropping onto its platform, but it also doesn't provide enough space for indies to flourish.
Fire Emblem Is Perfectly Primed For A Bright Future On Nintendo Switch 2
The Fire Emblem franchise had many successes on the Nintendo Switch, and the company’s next console could expand upon that in many ways.
One of the biggest issues with the eShop, outside the shovelware, is its lack of discoverability for new titles or those that were buried among either new and popular games or the aforementioned shovelware blight. In a 2020 interview with MCV, Joseph Humfrey, co-founder of Inkle, and Mike Rose, founder of No More Robots, discussed this very issue and how it's negatively affecting indie developers. Humfrey spoke about his own experience getting 80 Days onto the Switch and how it was impossible to get it discovered, explaining:
"In of organic discoverability, the main problem with the eshop is that it’s simply too basic. There’s such a small number of pages where you can be featured, that it massively limits the breadth of potential discovery. Yes, they have a Discover page, but it’s just one page, where games of all genres and types have to fight for visibility. Beyond that, they have Recent Releases (which you’re guaranteed to be on, albeit for a very limited period of time), Current Offers (which appears to be full of games that are err… gaming the system), and the Charts (which doesn’t even break down into genres as other stores do)."
Even with the handful of extra tags and filters Nintendo introduced in order to make filtering through specific genres and games easier, it's still almost impossible to find a category that has less than 1,000 games in it, making locating anything an absolute nightmare. This is unlike either of Nintendo's competitions, with both PlayStation and Xbox offering a lot fewer titles and stricter regulations on what gets in and a more -friendly, and evidently developer-friendly, digital storefront. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of features Nintendo could borrow from Sony for the Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo Just Needs Better Regulations On The EShop
It Also Needs More Options For Locating Games
It's clear that Nintendo needs to better regulate what games get approved for the Nintendo Switch 2 to avoid its eShop getting seriously bloated and further burying gems players will actually connect with. It also needs to make its digital storefront more comprehensive, offering a wider range of options when it comes to discovering new games, and do a better job of spotlighting those that are falling behind. This would all go a long way to making the overall eShop experience far better than it has been since the Switch first launched.
Crucially, Nintendo needs to overhaul its Discovery tab, which showcases must-buy titles. Typically, the showcased games are ones people are already aware of, including Fortnite, Nintendo-owned properties, and other triple-A games. This tab does little to showcase indie titles, which, arguably, are the backbone of the Nintendo Switch, especially considering they make up such an enormous percentage of the consoles' overall library.
It's worth noting that Nintendo does spotlight indie games via its Discovery tab on occasion, and obviously hosts the Indie World Showcases to promote indies coming to the Switch. These are all positive moves in the right direction and evidence of why the Switch is considered a great place to play indies in the first place.
With these fundamental changes, the Nintendo eShop, and thus the Nintendo Switch 2, would be a much better and more beneficial platform for all except those who profit from dumping shovelware onto it. Frankly, less AI-generated content and more real, genuine, indie games from a diverse range of developers is a far better sell than what the Nintendo Switch currently offers. Hopefully, the Nintendo Switch 2 will go down this more positive route, and Nintendo will learn some crucial lessons from the original Switch.
Sources: X/UFOkiyo, New York Times, NintendoLife, MCV
