List of cancelled Nintendo Switch games

The following games were initially announced as Nintendo Switch titles, but were subsequently cancelled or postponed indefinitely by developers or publishers.

Games

There are currently 13 games on this list.[a]

Title(s) Notes/Reasons Developer Publisher
BallisticNG A Wipeout-inspired racing game originally released on PC platforms in 2018, a Switch version was in development for multiple years. However, the game ran on the Unity game engine, and was cancelled in 2023 in response to its controversial run-time fee announced that year.[1] Neognosis Neognosis
Donkey Kong Freedom While never publicly announced by any of the companies involved, Nintendo, reportedly impressed by Vicarious Visions and Activision's handling of Donkey Kong and Bowser in the Wii U version of Skylanders: SuperChargers (2015), greenlit Vicarious Visions to develop a new Donkey Kong game the following year for the Switch. Plans included it being a 3D platformer, with an emphasis on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-like grinding across tree vines. The game was in development for around six months, but cancelled upon Activision's to focus more of its development teams on the Call of Duty franchise.[2][3] Vicarious Visions Activision
Evil Dead: The Game Originally released for Windows, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms in 2022, a Switch version was set to follow, but was cancelled in September 2023, alongside future content updates. The restructuring program of Embracer Group was named a possible reason by the press.[4][5] Saber Interactive Boss Team Games
Final Fantasy XV Director Hajime Tabata stated that Square Enix attempted to get the game up and running on the Switch hardware in 2017, but were unable to get it performing well enough to warrant releasing it. A port of Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition was released for the Switch in 2018 instead.[6] Square Enix Square Enix
Hyper Sports R First announced at E3 2018, the game was in development for two years before being cancelled in June 2020. Konami only said that it was cancelled due to "various circumstances".[7] Konami Konami
Marvel's Midnight Suns Announced in 2021, versions for PlayStation and Xbox platforms released across 2022 and 2023, while the Switch version was announced as "no longer planned" in May 2023. While no official reason was given, poor sales on other platforms and difficulties porting the game to the Switch's hardware were noted as likely reasons by publications.[8][9] Firaxis Games 2K
Occultic;Nine: New World A video game adaptation of the light novel Occultic;Nine was released in Japan for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in 2017 to poor reception. A revised version titled New World was announced in 2018, planned as free DLC that would address issues and add new content, with New World also set to release as a standalone Switch title. It was quietly cancelled in August 2022.[10] Mages Mages
Pathfinder: Kingmaker Released on PC platforms in 2018, console versions were announced for 2020. While PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were released, the Switch version was cancelled.[11][12] Owlcat Games Deep Silver
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Released for PC platforms in 2018, with console versions to follow, a Switch version did not launch alongside PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions in 2020. In 2022, the Switch version was officially cancelled, with developers citing difficulties in getting the game running on the system.[13] Obsidian Entertainment Versus Evil
RoboCop: Rogue City A video game based on the Robocop franchise was announced for the Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms in 2022, though the Switch version was cancelled one month prior to the game's release. While no official reason was given, IGN felt that the game was too ambitious for the Switch's hardware.[14][15] Teyon Nacon
Rubber Hose Rampage A version for the Nintendo Switch was also announced along with PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox versions, but only the Switch version was later canceled.[16][better source needed] Revie Studios Revie Studios
Sengoku Night Blood A Switch version of the 2017 mobile game was announced, but was later cancelled in October 2019 due to "various circumstances". The mobile version terminated service two months later.[17] Idea Factory Marvelous
Steep One of the first third party games announced for the Switch prior to launch, it was later cancelled in August 2018 in favor of providing live service content to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions instead.[18][19] Ubisoft Annecy Ubisoft

Notes

  1. ^ This number is always up to date by this script.

References

  1. ^ Scullion, Chris (September 25, 2023). "Switch game cancelled over controversial Unity changes". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  2. ^ Blake, Vikki (May 5, 2024). "Activision's Vicarious Visions worked on a cancelled 3D Donkey Kong game". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Middler, Jordan (May 5, 2024). "Activision studio Vicarious Visions was working on a Donkey Kong game, it's claimed". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Peppiatt, Dom (May 19, 2022). "Evil Dead: The Game sells 500,000 units in under a week – perfect timing for Embracer Group". VG247. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  5. ^ Sirani, Jordan (September 20, 2023). "Evil Dead: The Game Not Making New Updates, Switch Version Canceled". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Skrebels, Joe (September 4, 2017). "Square Enix Tried Running Final Fantasy XV's Engine on Switch". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Singh, Surej (June 11, 2020). "Konami cancels its Nintendo Switch exclusive, 'Hyper Sports R'". NME. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Leston, Ryan (May 2, 2023). "Marvel's Midnight Suns Switch Version Officially Canceled". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  9. ^ McWhertor, Michael (May 2, 2023). "Marvel's Midnight Suns Switch version scrapped". Polygon. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  10. ^ Joshua, Orpheus (August 1, 2022). "Occultic;Nine: New World Officially Canceled". Noisy Pixel. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  11. ^ "THQ Nordic Interim Report • 1 January – 30 September 2018" (PDF). Embracer Group. November 17, 2018. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  12. ^ "Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Definitive Edition". Metacritic.
  13. ^ Doolan, Liam (March 6, 2022). "Obsidian's RPG Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Appears To Have Been Cancelled For Switch". Nintendo Life. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  14. ^ Romano, Sal (October 20, 2023). "RoboCop: Rogue City for Switch cancelled". Gematsu. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  15. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 20, 2023). "RoboCop: Rogue City Nintendo Switch Version Cancelled". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  16. ^ Revie Studios [@revie_studios] (March 26, 2024). "FYI: Rubber Hose Rampage will not be on Switch. It was approved for release on PlayStation today and should release around April 4th" (Tweet). Retrieved May 10, 2024 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (October 25, 2019). "Sengoku Night Blood Game's Switch Release Cancelled". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 13, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Craddock, Ryan (9 August 2018). "Ubisoft Has Halted Development Of Steep On Nintendo Switch". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  19. ^ Stevens, Colin (August 9, 2018). "Ubisoft Confirms Steep Is No Longer Coming to the Nintendo Switch". IGN. Retrieved May 10, 2024.