Overwatch director says Nintendo Switch port would require developers to 'revisit performance'

Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan has weighed in on the possibility of bringing Blizzard's popular hero-based shooter to Nintendo Switch, saying it would be a technically challenging process.

In an interview with Express Online, Kaplan said the development team would have to "revisit performance" to get the shooter to work on the Switch.

"I think the problem is, we've really targeted our min spec in a way that we would have to revisit performance and how to get on that platform," Kaplan explained.

In a Reddit AMA last month, Kaplan said that he loves Nintendo's new hybrid portable and home console, but noted that a Switch port would be "very challenging" but they are "open-minded about exploring possible platforms."

He also noted that simultaneously supporting Overwatch on three platforms - Xbox One, PS4 and PC - at the moment has proven to be quite a challenge for the team.

"It's already challenging right now maintaining platforms and patching simultaneously, which is something that we've finally been able to achieve," Kaplan said. "Our first couple of patches would come out on PC first and then later on the consoles. And a lot of that is because you're working with Microsoft and Sony, and you want to be compliant to their ecosystems.

"Adding a third ecosystem to that just adds a lot of complexity for us, as well."

However, as a big fan of the new console, Kaplan says Blizzard is still open to the possibility of a Nintendo Switch port in the future.

"I always like to tell people we're very open-minded about what platforms we could be on," he noted. "Just because we're not on a platform right now, it doesn't mean we won't reconsider it in the future, so we stay aware of all these things."

Last week IBTimes UKsat down to interview the Overwatch director about many aspects of the game. During our time with Kaplan he discussed how close the game's next hero is to completion, the state of a potential campaign mode, the "big plan" Blizzard has for Doomfist and much more.

A new Uprising event is set to launch on 11 April related to the King's Row Uprising that took place in the Overwatch universe seven years prior to the core events of the game.