Switch 2 Indie Game Development: Dev Kit Access and Early Indie Offerings Examined

Nintendo Switch 2 Indie Game Development: Dev Kit Access and Early Indie Offerings Examined Nintendo's Switch 2 has rapidly achieved impressive hardware sales since launch, continuing the company's trend of strong console debuts.

However, while flagship titles such as Mario Kart World are delivering early momentum, many in the gaming community have noted a relatively subdued lineup of indie games available on the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop during these initial weeks.

The rollout of indie titles—a core pillar of the original Switch's sustained success—appears slower this time, and recent reports shed light on why. Speaking with GamesIndustry.Biz, multiple indie developers detailed the challenges surrounding Switch 2 dev kit access.

While some studios secured development hardware well ahead of time, others are still waiting.

Tony Gowland, of Ant Workshop, the team behind Into the Restless Ruins, noted that limited dev kit availability is not new and was also an obstacle during the original Switch launch.

Gowland explained, "We’re seeing similar patterns to the first Switch launch, where dev kits were in short supply for half a year after release.

Right now, those who managed to get hold of them are mainly building games that require Switch 2’s increased processing power." This parallels the development experience of Hello Games, who began work on No Man’s Sky's Switch 2 version a year before its public announcement, leveraging the hardware to deliver noticeable performance improvements.

Such early access enables some studios to maximize Switch 2's advanced capabilities and demonstrate the console’s technical leap. Citizen Sleeper 2, published by Fellow Traveller and highly acclaimed on the original Switch, was slated for the Switch 2 launch but encountered delays due to dev kit challenges.

Gareth Damien Martin, the game's creator, confirmed that a Switch 2 release was initially planned but became unfeasible.

Chris Wright, Founder and Managing Director of Fellow Traveller, described the scenario as routine: "It’s normal for dev kits to be heavily restricted prior to a console launch, and it often remains that way for a while afterward.

As much as it can hamper planning, this situation with Switch 2 is not unusual.

We would like clear communication for indies so we can confidently plan future titles.

We’re excited to utilize features like mouse controls, which would benefit games such as Citizen Sleeper." Despite these hurdles, backward compatibility ensures many games—including Citizen Sleeper 2—run with enhanced performance and smooth frame rates on Switch 2.

However, the lack of early dev tool access means developers have less time to optimize or expand their titles specifically for the new platform’s features at launch. The outlook is positive, as both Unity and Unreal Engine offer Switch 2 support, which should simplify future development pipelines.

GameMaker—the engine behind 2D hits like Deltarune—is also fully Switch 2 compatible.

Russell Kay, GameMaker’s senior product manager, commented on Nintendo’s strict security but expressed optimism: "All Switch games effectively work on Switch 2, and there’s a significant title backlog already on Switch 1.

Nintendo has handled this transition well.

Within a year, access woes will likely be a non-issue." As the Switch 2 ecosystem matures, indie developers are poised to bring their rapid-fire creativity to the console, mirroring the original Switch’s indie-friendly reputation.

For now, while early eShop releases may be sparse, the foundation is in place for an upcoming surge in standout indie titles on Nintendo’s latest hardware.

Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch Nintendo eShop Switch 2 Switch indie developers developers Ant Workshop Into the Restless Ruins Fellow Traveller Citizen Sleeper 2 Gareth Damien Martin Chris Wright GamesIndustry.Biz Hello Games No Man's Sky Unity Unreal GameMaker Russell Kay Deltarune