9 Indies with the Best Chance of Releasing on the Nintendo Switch

We take a look at nine of the most likely indie games making their way over to the Nintendo Switch during its first commercial year.

This Thursday, Nintendo will be hosting their highly-anticipated Treehouse Event, in which they officially reveal their newest console to the publicthe Nintendo Switch.

The Switch first garnered waves of attention two months ago following its initial announcement trailer. Since then, the gaming community has been holding their breath, waiting for additional information. Here at Indie Obscura, we’re curious to see which indie developers have hopped on board the Nintendo Switch lineup.

Previously, we covered the confirmed list which includes several indie studios, all of which play an important role in the future success of the Nintendo Switch. However, rumors have already begun to circulate regarding which indies will be in attendance during Thursday's Nintendo Treehouse Event, as well as which indie games will release for the Switch this year.

Below, we’ve outlined a speculative list of the top nine indie games that we believe will release for the Nintendo Switch console this year!

9) Stardew Valley

Developer Eric Barone initially planned to port his successful indie over to the Wii U. When the console’s demise became apparent, Barone canceled his plans and confirmed that he would be developing a Nintendo Switch port instead.

“Stardew Valley will not be coming to the Wii U, however. Looking at Wii U and the current gaming landscape, we made the difficult choice to shift our development efforts to creating a version for Nintendo Switch,” quotes the Stardew Valley website

Fast forward to January of 2017. Stardew Valley is a game that definitely seems like it will find its way to the Nintendo Switch early, most likely by the end of Q2 2017.

8) Firewatch

This indie darling won countless awards for excellence in 2016, and continues to make waves within the indie game community.

While there has been no confirmation regarding a Nintendo Switch port of Firewatch, it is nevertheless a game to keep your eye on this year.

After all, there’s nothing indicating that Firewatch developer Campo Santo is opposed to additional promotion of their indie blockbuster seeing as how it's already available across all major platforms (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Mac, Linux).

7) Yooka-Laylee

Yet another game with an intended Wii U port that wound up getting canceled, developer Playtonic confirmed that Yooka-Laylee will find itself ported over to the Nintendo Switch.

“We can, however, confirm the exciting news that we are now working very closely with Nintendo to look to bring Yooka-Laylee to the upcoming Nintendo Switch. We’re looking forward to exploring the opportunity and will have more details to share early next year,” Playtonic explained.

This warms our hearts, as the game serves as an effective callback to classic Nintendo 64 titles like Banjo-Kazooie. In fact, some sources have speculated that Playtonic may be in attendance during Thursday’s press conference. We can’t wait to see whether or not this is true!

6) Abzu

This colorful underwater indie made waves following its release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Knowing Nintendo’s penchant for colorful, family-friendly titles, we could see Abzu doing quite well should it find its way over to the Nintendo Switch.

Of course, developer Giant Squid has made no confirmations one way or the other. The only reason this seems remotely plausible is because publisher 505 Games is on the confirmed roster of developers partnered with the Nintendo Switch. So, never say never!

5) Seasons of Heaven

Season of Heaven's Switch release was initially announced by Game Blog and later confirmed by Eurogamer. Developed by indie studio AnyArts Productions, Seasons of Heaven is in development exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

In the game, you play as Yann, a young boy afflicted with Asperger's accompanied by his faithful companiona dog named Ani. The story is reportedly based off a French novel of the same name.

We aren’t certain where Seasons of Heaven stands in the development stage, but we’re predicting it should be ready this March following the release of the Nintendo Switch. 

4) Let it Die

This one is a bit of a stretch, but we have our suspicions that Let it Die may just get ported over to the Nintendo Switch. At first glance, this seems downright impossible considering this title is a PlayStation exclusive, on top of being very bloody and violent.

However, both developer Grasshopper Manufacture and publisher GungHo Entertainment are on the confirmed list of companies for the Nintendo Switch.

With both being present, it seems plausible that this successful free-to-play indie may find a home on the Nintendo Switch store. Fingers crossed, as we can’t get enough of this hack-and-slash monster!

3) Axiom Verge

In reaction to the Nintendo Switch announcement, Axion Verge developer Thomas Happ stated the following:

“I do wish the screen were 3D like 3DS, but that's a minor gripe. Hopefully we can get a devkit soon and start porting Axiom Verge over.”

In lieu of Happ's statement, you can bet that an Axiom Verge port for the Nintendo Switch is already in the works. We have a pretty good feeling it should be ready sometime this year, and we are excited to see how it runs over on the Switch.

2) Shovel Knight

Similar to Axiom Verge’s Thomas Happ, David D’angelo of Yacht Club Games had some equally promising words in regards to the Nintendo Switch:

“At Yacht Club Games, we’re very excited for the Nintendo Switch! Nintendo continues to put fun first by focusing on delivering new, engaging ways to play, which is what we’re all about! We can’t wait to take advantage of the system’s capability to have local and online multiplayer anywhere. It will allow for some truly great game experiences. We can only imagine the pure joy we’ll have playing Nintendo’s games both on the go and at home.”

While there was no mention of porting Shovel Knight over to the Nintendo Switch, we feel that the game would fit right in on the Nintendo marketplace. While not entirely likely, we’re still holding out hope to see Shovel Knight over on the Nintendo Switch, especially considering Shovel Knight was already ported to the Wii U.

1) Absolver

Last but not least, we have Absolver. While not on the initial roster of Nintendo Switch developers, Devolver Digital later announced that they would indeed be partnering up with the Switch.

Looking at the lineup of Devolver games, the most likely candidate to make it over to the Switch is the upcoming martial arts fighting game, Absolver.

Boasting some gorgeous, colorful design work and addicting gameplay, it would be a joy to be able to play this game on the Nintendo Switch. However, with no confirmation from Devolver or developer Sloclap, all we can do is hope for the best at this point.

Which indie games would you like to see ported over to the Nintendo Switch? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned for updates following Thursday's Nintendo Treehouse Event.

For more on the Nintendo Switch here at Indie Obscura, be sure to check out some of our previous coverage including the initial reveal of the Nintendo Switch, how the future success of the Nintendo Switch is tied to its developer roster, and the news that Devolver Digital will be joining the Nintendo Switch lineup.  

Morgan is a writer, indie game lover, and socially awkward coffee addict. Need something? Morgan can be reached at morgan.shaver@allgamers.com or if you like, you can say hello using GIFs on Twitter.

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