After a week of rumors, today’s Nintendo Direct presentation confirms that Overwatch is coming to Switch. It lands on October 15 and will cost $40.
Overwatch launched in May 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. This will be the first new platform for the team-based shooter since its release, and it’ll be the second Blizzard game for Nintendo’s home console/portable hybrid after Diablo III’s 2018 port. This version will include support for motion controls.
Overwatch has been a big hit for Blizzard, having amassed over 40 million players. Constant free updates, including new heroes, maps, and season events, keep many played coming back. Blizzard has also heavily invested in Overwatch esports with the Overwatch League.
Coming to the Switch will introduce Overwatch a new audience and help grow its player base. The Switch has been a big success for Nintendo since its March 2017 debut, already selling over 36.87 million consoles. And unlike its predecessor, the Wii U, the Switch is attracting third-party developers and publishers like Blizzard. Overwatch’s free-to-play competitor, Paladins, has been on Switch since 2018.
Switch does not have hardware on par with the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, so this version of Overwatch should be a visual downgrade from the other console versions. The Switch also has shoddy online support from Nintendo, requiring users to use a phone app for voice chat.