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The story
An article claiming a former Rockstar staffer said the Switch 2 version of GTA6 “doesn’t make sense” went viral on X, sparking a wave of reactions on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board. However, posters pointed out that the person who made the comment was a game designer rather than a developer, and that he left Rockstar back in 2020 — before Switch 2 dev kits were even distributed to third-party studios — which put the credibility of the claim itself in question. The discussion also expanded to cover theories about the Switch 2’s supposed lack of horsepower, how well the game would suit controller-only play, and the long-running overseas perception that “Nintendo is for kids,” leaving opinions split.
A ‘Grand Theft Auto’ developer speaks out
Why the Switch 2 version of ‘GTA 6’ “doesn’t make sense”
Written by: Michael Gwilliam
Source: x.com / Read the original article here
What people said
Even on PlayStation it didn't sell that well in Japan…
Yeah, this really isn't a game meant to be played with a controller.
Still, the call isn't up to the ex-developer or me — it's up to Take-Two's management.
That's just some ex-developer's super personal opinion.
It's not worth anything as a reference.
But isn't this basically how developers who aren't accountable for sales or the business side tend to think?
The mindset of 'making a blockbuster worthy of high-end hardware is the honor and the career move — no need to put it on the Switch 2, which is fundamentally a handheld.'
Hartvick is a game designer, not a game developer. He left Rockstar in 2020 — well before the console was manufactured and dev kits were distributed to third-party studios.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhartvick/
2020, lol
Could it be… 'Ongiman'? (a 5ch in-joke nickname, apparently for someone whose info is way out of date)
>In Rockstar's case, people go out of their way to buy a console just to play their games.
No way, don't be an idiot.
If that were true, Rockstar could release their own console, make their games exclusive to it, and sell tens or hundreds of millions of units. Why don't they? Because nobody buys a console just for GTA, that's why.
Realistically, Nintendo's the only company that can actually pull that off.
Though the Switch 2 isn't exactly selling well.
Though the Switch 2 isn't exactly selling well."
It ran on PS3, so it'd be a breeze on Switch or Switch 2.
Even though plenty of so-called heavy, mature-rated games have come out on Nintendo hardware, Sony and the media's decades-long campaign to brand 'Nintendo = for kids' has sunk in perfectly.
Even developers end up thinking, 'Our game on Nintendo? No way, no way.'
But realistically, only kiddie games actually sell on it, lol.
↓ ↓ ↓
Barely sells at all — total flop.
Well, of course it did.
Well, there's no such hardware as 'SWU,' so of course it wouldn't sell.
Though I get that Take-Two just doesn't have the technical chops to port it to Switch 2.
Those games came out on PS4 too, though.
I haven't even heard anyone asking for a Switch release.
'I only own a Switch 2' 🥹 — that's basically a Japan-only thing, right?
Reminder: the high-end PC crowd is a pretty small population.
A game that runs on an Xbox Series S obviously isn't demanding high-end specs.
The Series S is actually pricier than a PS5 these days, though.
For those kinds of games, honestly a Switch 2-only release would be enough.
Says the guy after Resident Evil, Onimusha, Elden Ring, and Final Fantasy all flopped there together.
Want me to post the Switch version sales numbers?
The price went up, but the specs didn't — so that's not even a counterargument.
At the very least, the Switch 2 doesn't stand a chance.
It's not even confirmed to run on the Series S.
They might just ship it with a choppy frame rate and call it good enough.
I wasn't talking about the Switch 2 at all.
I'll take you dragging in something unrelated as your surrender.
Can you even read the name of this thread?
Background and key points of this discussion
The person who called the Switch 2 version of GTA6 “something that doesn’t make sense” was ex-Rockstar staffer Jeremy Hartvick — but as reply #18 points out, he’s a game designer, and he left Rockstar back in 2020, before dev hardware was even distributed to third-party studios. That means he likely wasn’t in a position to know the Switch 2’s actual specs or the state of its dev kits at the time, and the thread split over how much weight to give his comment. It’s also worth noting, as 5ch posters pointed out, that a Switch 2 version of GTA6 hasn’t even been officially announced — the final call rests with publisher Take-Two. The discussion also expanded beyond the technical feasibility of a port into a broader question of industry perception: whether the long-standing overseas image of “Nintendo = for kids” is shaping developers’ decisions. Some pushed back on the performance concerns too, citing GTA5’s track record running on both the PS3 and the original Switch.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Saying There’s No Value in Porting GTA6 to Switch 2.”
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