Opinion: Resident Evil Requiem Represents A Turning Point For Switch 2
Image: CapcomEver since the first big blowout Direct for the Switch 2 back in April, Iâve been itching to see an announcement for Resident Evil on the new console. Itâs possibly my favourite series of all time, after all, so Iâm eager to play the recent entries on a Nintendo console without having to connect to the bloominâ Cloud. Heck, arenât we all?
Iâve been banging on about it so much over online chats and meetings that Iâm quite sure my colleagues were just about sick of it weeks ago. So you can imagine how much my excitement ramped up when rumours began to surface about not only existing RE Engine games making their way to Switch 2, but also the upcoming ninth mainline entry, Resident Evil Requiem.
Surely not, right? Weâre Nintendo fans, for goodnessâ sake; weâre used to getting ports of games months, if not years after their release on other platforms. Thatâs if they even get ported at all, of course. Which often isnât the case. And thatâs fine, yâknow, weâve got our own first-party games to enjoy, plus a plethora of incredible indie titles.
But then it happened. Towards at the end of the latest Nintendo Direct, atmospheric shots of spooky hallways emerged, followed by the ringing of a telephone. ‘Is this Resident Evil?!’ I asked myself. And, stone the crows, it was! Not just any Resident Evil either, but as rumoured, it was Resident Evil Requiem, launching day-and-date with other consoles on 27th February 2026.
This, in my opinion, represents a pretty significant shift for the Switch 2 early in its lifespan. As I said, weâre so used to getting ports of games long after their initial release on other platforms (or, in the case of Borderlands 4, just a few weeks later), but this is a major new entry in one of the biggest gaming franchises of all time â a franchise in which 4 of the 13 titles available on Switch were relegated to Cloud Versions. Yet there it was; a native port launching right alongside the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
There was once a time â very briefly, mind you â in which Capcom and Nintendo were besties, with the former bringing a bunch of exclusives to the GameCube, including the now-iconic Resident Evil 4. Thanks to lukewarm sales, it didn’t last long, and with Nintendo subsequently going in a drastically different direction to Sony and Microsoft, flagship RE games just weren’t a thing on Nintendo consoles anymore.
The success of the Switch did change things quite a bit, and Capcom has done an admirable job in supporting the system over the years, but from the customer’s point of view, and from our point of view, Cloud Versions just aren’t good enough, and it felt like Switch owners were still drawing the short straw. Now, we’re back in the driver’s seat, and it feels wonderful.
Donât get me wrong, Iâm not expecting some major revolution in which every publisher suddenly rushes to launch their flagship games on the Switch 2, but the consoleâs remarkable success since its launch just a handful of months back has clearly made executives sit up and pay attention. This, along with the Switch 2’s favourably comparable specs to the Series S has made immediate ports of new games a much more likely prospect.
Now, you could make the argument that Resident Evil Requiem isnât the first âAAAâ game to launch day-and-date with other platforms. We had Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 back in July, NBA 2K26 earlier this month, and EA Sports FC 26 is launching just next week. But letâs be fair, publishers would still be releasing sports games on the PS2 if they thought they could get away with it.
Seeing games like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws, and Street Fighter 6 gave me a great deal of hope that the Switch 2 would be a good home for modern blockbusters, even if it means waiting just that little bit longer. Then Cronos: The New Dawn happened, and that felt like a good nudge in the right direction.
Resident Evil Requiem, though? Yeah, thatâs on a whole new level. This is a big deal, and I sincerely hope it signifies a bit more openness from publishers to launch their games on the Switch 2 alongside other platforms.
It’s also worth mentioning that we’re getting 007 First Light in March 2026 alongside other platforms, and there’s a good chance the untitled third entry in the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy will also land day-and-date. Good things are happening folks!
Whether it continues is likely down to how well these games actually sell, so… Yeah, buy Resident Evil Requiem, everyone.
Image: Capcom
What do you think, dear reader? Will we start seeing more ports day-and-date with other platforms on Switch 2? Let us know with a comment.
