Is Guilty Gear: Strive Ever Coming To Nintendo Switch?
There was plenty to see at 2022's Evolution Championship Series. More commonly referred to as EVO, this gathering of epsorts athletes had a number of fighting game championships to watch unfold, including "MultiVersus" replacing "Super Smash Bros." in a big way. There were several announcements and reveals as well. "Tekken" fans scrambled for answers regarding a brief teaser for a possible new "Tekken" game, "Street Fighter 6" debuted two more fighters, and "Guilty Gear: Strive" simultaneously unveiled and released Bridget, its first season pass 2 DLC character.
"Guilty Gear" publisher Arc System Works also announced that "Guilty Gear: Strive" had reached the huge milestone of selling more than one million units worldwide. Considering this success across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC, could "Strive" make the jump to other platforms? Though there's no news of an Xbox Series X|S port, players may wonder if there is a Nintendo Switch version in the cards.
Guilty Gear's future on the Switch
At this time, it looks like "Guilty Gear: Strive" for the Nintendo Switch isn't on its way. There's been no word of it from Arc System Works in any form. However, this doesn't mean it's impossible. Back in 2019, both the original "Guilty Gear" from 1998 and "Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R" (yes, that's its real name) were made available on the Switch. Ported as a celebration of the series' 20th anniversary, the latter of these titles released with new soundtracks, a brand-new spectator mode, and restructured online play. None of that makes the port a full remake, but it's enough to show that Arc Systems Works saw value in releasing an updated version for Nintendo's portable players.
Where does this leave "Guilty Gear: Strive?" According to a 2018 interview between Destructoid and series director and designer Daisuke Ishiwatari, the idea of Switch releases for the franchise is up in the air. "One of the goals for 'Guilty Gear' is achieving high quality graphics. Specifically on that point the Nintendo Switch might not be a good match, but that's not our final conclusion. We're still working on that." That might not be the most confidence-boosting answer, but it's not a "No" either.