Why Unravel Two Isn't On The Nintendo Switch

The Simple Reason Why Unravel Two Isn't On The Nintendo Switch

Published Jun 20, 2018

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Unravel Two isn't on the Nintendo Switch but there's a very good reason for its absence. The developers didn't have the time or resources to move their platforming sequel to Nintendo's red-hot console/handheld hybrid.

Unravel Two was one the big surprises of E3 2018. It was announced and released during EA's press conference. There were some rumors that Unravel Two would be announced at E3 2018, but no one expected it would become one of the conference's exciting "shadow drops" like Unravel Two looks (and plays) like the perfect Nintendo Switch game, making its absence all the more noticeable. While Unravel Two isn't on the Switch currently, that could change.

In Screen Rant's interview with Coldwood Interactive CTO Jakob Marklund, we asked why Unravel Two didn't make it onto the Nintendo Switch, when the game is available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Marklund said that while they wanted to get Unravel Two on Nintendo Switch, a number of factors worked against them making it impossible. The CTO explained:

The reason is quite simple: the Switch was not released when we started developing the game, and we're a small studio. So, it's sort of a... the game engine we're using is PhyreEngine, it's an in-house Sony engine that we have built on top on, so we did the Xbox port ourselves and a lot of tech on top of it. So, it's mainly our own engine that we... we're a small team, so we didn't have the time to port the engine for Switch.

However before Nintendo fans give up hope of playing Yarny's adventures with his new friend - Other Yarny - Marklund has some words of encouragement. When pressed if Unravel Two could ever show up on Nintendo Switch, Marklund answered:

We would like to do that. It would be great fun because we're a natural Switch game, but there are some challenges. Even though we may look like, 'Yeah, this is just a 2D platformer,' it could be quite simple to do, but actually, some of the scenes there are actually 4 million polygons on-screen and that's Switch not capable, so we have to sort of scale down the graphics. .... It's definitely possible to do, but it would take some time.

Marklund's answer about how Unravel Two would look on Nintendo Switch isn't too surprising. The Nintendo Switch is selling extremely well. Nintendo is definitely bouncing back from the disaster that was the Wii U and developers are flocking to them once again. However, while Nintendo is able to make their games look quite impressive on Switch, it's much, much less powerful than the Xbox One or the PS4. Games have been released on all three platforms, but it's not a simple process to bring a game to Nintendo Switch.

Unravel Two could easily never show up on the Nintendo Switch. While there is a clamor for it currently, that could easily fade with time. Unravel Two, while a ton of fun, isn't a huge tentpole title for publisher Electronic Arts. Unravel Two would undoubtedly sell well on Nintendo Switch as independent platforming titles are frequently at the top of the best-selling games on Nintendo's eShop. However, the process to put Unravel Two on the Switch might not be worth the time and effort it would require from Coldwood Interactive. After all, Unravel isn't even on the Nintendo Switch yet.

That being said, there definitely seems to be an interest from Marklund, if no one else, to bring Unravel Two to Nintendo Switch. It's something that, at the very least, is being bounced around. Some of Unravel Two's visual fidelity might need to be sacrificed. Yet given Nintendo's propensity for turning their own heroes into yarn, like Yoshi and Kirby, and how much of a market there is for independently produced titles on the Switch, there's a chance of Unravel Two showing up in the eShop one day. It could be a small chance, but it's still a chance.