Fans of the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Smite may be disappointed to learn that the upcoming sequel, Smite 2, won’t be released on the Nintendo Switch. During the Smite World Championships on January 12, 2024, Titan Forge Games, the developers of Smite were interviewed by Techradar. This was after they revealed Smite 2 and its planned alpha test, which will start this spring. They were questioned on why Nintendo Switch was left out, and the answer is clear.
According to the conversation with Smite executive producer Alex Cantatore, the primary reason for this decision is concern about the Switch’s processing power. Smite 2 is built using Unreal Engine 5.2, a significant upgrade from the original game’s Unreal Engine 3. This jump in engine technology translates to major graphical improvements, which Cantatore worries the Switch might be unable to handle effectively.
“We’re concerned that currently, with the power level of Switch and the minimum specs that we’re targeting, we just aren’t sure that we’d be able to develop or deliver a really good experience to people playing on Switch currently.”
Alex Cantatore
Despite the current lack of plans for a Switch release, Titan Forge hasn’t completely closed the door on the possibility. Cantatore expressed openness to revisiting the idea if a more powerful Switch model, such as the rumored Switch 2, were to become available. He emphasized that Smite has historically been ported to as many platforms as possible and expects this trend to continue with Smite 2.
The Nintendo Switch was not designed to compete power-wise or through graphics with other consoles. It’s designed to play Nintendo games, and Nintendo doesn’t need to compete with other companies because they own many of the beloved franchises of the industry, like Mario and Zelda. Unfortunately, that means those with only Nintendo Switches have to deal with the console not being as powerful as those from Sony and Microsoft.
While Smite 2 won’t be playable on the Switch in the foreseeable future, fans can still look forward to its alpha test on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
