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SwitchArcade Roundup: E3 Switch Recap from Third-Party Publishers

Posted on by Carter Dotson

Welcome to the SwitchArcade Roundup for June 11th, where we’re recapping all the Switch E3 happenings before Nintendo’s big E3 Direct on Tuesday, June 12th at 12:00 PM EDT. PC and the other two consoles were the focus for most companies, but Bethesda came out with a bunch of stuff for the Switch (sadly no Fallout 76 yet), and Ubisoft had some intriguing Switch stuff. Limited Run Games even got in on the fun with some cool indie announcements. Let’s get into the E3 day -2, -1, and 0 happenings, because the conference doesn’t even officially open until tomorrow!

Fallout Shelter out now on Switch

Revealed during the conference, and released right afterward, Bethesda’s game of managing your own Fallout vault is now on Switch, three years after its release on mobile. It’s got that wry sense of humor you expect from Fallout, and is a solid simulation title to boot. It also signifies that free-to-play really is coming to Switch in a bigger way, what with Fortnite definitely coming to the Switch as well. Seriously, even Chance the Rapper is now dropping Fortnite on Switch leaks, c’mon.

The Elder Scrolls Legends coming to Switch

Does your Switch need more CCG games? Well, good news: Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls CCG is coming to Switch, along with other, lesser consoles, later this year. The game uses two different boards side by side with one another, adding a different wrinkle to the experience, and forcing you to change your strategies as opposed to just having everything on one side. I quit Hearthstone after opponents figured out how to wipe out everything of mine in one blow, even with a suboptimal deck, so maybe if I have one side that’s always safe, I’ll feel better! Or, maybe not, and this additional board will just give my enemies more ways to humiliate me. Either way, this is coming to Switch later this year, and will come with cross-platform synchronization, so you won’t lose your progress at all. Hopefully the game includes pointer controls with the Joy-Con for perfect couch play!

Doom Eternal is the sequel to the Doom reboot

Bethesda didn’t announce any platform for it, but Doom Eternal promises to unleash hell on earth. While Doom perhaps is pushing the Switch to its limits, we can hope that with Doom Eternal in early development, Switch development will be taken into serious consideration, and the game should hopefully come to the Switch and run well! hopefully!

Wolfenstein: Youngblood announced with co-op play

No platform revealed for this one yet either, but this will be a sequel to Wolfenstein 2 (releasing on June 29th for Switch) and it will feature B.J. Blazkowicz’s twin daughters fighting the Nazis in 1980s Paris and searching for their father. It’ll feature co-op play, which I doubt would work in split-screen mode on the Switch, but we’ll see! Bethesda made sure not to mention platforms specifically!

The Elder Scrolls Blades announced by Bethesda

Bethesda had a new game announcement at their E3 conference: The Elder Scrolls Blades, and it’s coming to mobile. This is a first-person Elder Scrolls experience built around several modes: a roguelike dungeon crawler mode, one-on-one battles with other players online, and a town-building mode. That latter mode will take place in full 3D, as you build a town with new quests and NPCs, with the ability to visit others. The game is optimized for mobile, but is planned for practically every platform imaginable. Virtual reality headsets (including mobile ones) will get the game, and Bethesda’s Todd Howard mentioned PC and consoles as recipients of Blades as well. It will release this fall as a free-to-play game, with pre-orders on the App Store and Google Play now available. Switch wasn’t specifically mentioned, but Bethesda wants this to be on every platform imaginable, so that seems to indicate the Switch is going to be one of the platforms, as well.

Devolver Digital reveals My Friend Pedro coming to Switch and PC

Devolver Digital is publishing this madcap side-scrolling action game where you can use bullet time – a lot of bullet time – to take down enemies with uber-stylish dual-wield guns. The game looks amazing for trailers, but how will it work as an actual game, and make it a compelling experience? Will bullet time be limited? Who knows, it does look rad!

This was revealed during the bonkers Devolver Digital E3 “press conference" which was a prerecorded thing. It definitely wasn’t as crazy as last year’s, if only because there was an element of familiarity and an expectation of ludicrous happenings after last year. Still, I’m glad someone’s mocking just how ridiculous E3 press conferences are…and making money off of merch.

Sadly, no Metal Wolf Chaos XD for Switch announcement yet. Patriotism is dead.

Here are Square Enix’s reveals for Switch at their E3 press conference:

EA also didn’t have much for Switch except FIFA 19. Moving on!

Ubisoft reveals Trials Rising for Switch

RedLynx’s latest Trials game is coming to the Switch as well as other consoles! Expect a ton of tracks full of bumpy terrain, with backflips to pull off, and plenty of bodily injuries to your poor rider. A unique co-op mode where you and a friend (soon to be an enemy) will have to control each side of the bike through levels sounds infuriatingly fun. Oh, and you’ll be able to customize your bike, your outfit, and create shareable levels with the Trials Track Editor. This should be cool.

Also, shout out to the big bearded bros at RedLynx who demoed the game with style and grace.

Just Dance 2019 coming to Switch…and also the Wii?!

No joke, the new entry in the Just Dance series is coming to the Switch, and it should be great with the Joy-Cons and the companion mobile app. But you won’t need the latest and greatest gaming systems to play this game. In fact, the game is coming to the Wii. No, I didn’t say the Wii U, even though it is getting a version of it. No, I said the Wii. From 2006. It’s getting a new retail release. Its eShop is closed, but disc-based games are still happening, folks! Oh, and the Xbox 360 Kinect, of all freaking systems, is getting the game, too. I guess if it just requires copy-and-pasting new visuals and music, no reason not to release on these platforms, eh?

The Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle DLC releases on June 26th (25th for DLC owners)

Ubisoft had a reminder about the Donkey Kong DLC for their unlikely strategy game crossover, and had composer Grant Kirkhope and a live band play some music from the show. It was pretty cool, and at least had a nice thematic fit with the show and served as a nice break about halfway through the show. While I love Andrew WK and the performance of “Ready to Die" from the Bethesda E3 conference, it made a bit less sense than this. But still, haters should have gotten up for that one.

Starlink: Battle for Atlas adds Star Fox

Ubisoft’s space action game with a toys-to-life element, Starlink, adds in the Star Fox crew and the Arwings for the Switch version of the game. And yes, you can get an Arwing figure, customize it, and use it in the game. It definitely seemed like the mood and interest in this one really changed when suddenly they were like “Oh yeah, there is Star Fox in this one too." And I don’t blame anyone for suddenly getting interested, especially when rumors suggest the next Star Fox game won’t be a true space shooter!

Limited Run Games announces Cosmic Star Heroine for Switch and other new physical releases

Zeboyd makes great RPGs. Their original title Cosmic Star Heroine looks great, but I haven’t gotten around to playing it. However, Nintendo apparently wouldn’t let Zeboyd self-publish it on the Switch. However, the studio partnered with publisher Limited Run Games to help with the port and get the game released on the Switch. And of course, it’ll get a physical release too. The digital release will happen in August, physical release happens at a later date.

Dust: An Elysian Tale is also coming to Switch from Limited Run Games:

These existing and upcoming games are also getting physical releases on the Switch courtesy of LRG:

Night School Studio announces Afterparty for Switch

E3 isn’t just press conferences, with developers and publishers getting mini-showcases on things like the Twitch E3 stream. And the fine Nightschoolers let it be known that their game where you have to out-drink Satan (Hell yeah!) is coming to the Switch, too. Nice!

I would not expect any Switch news during the PlayStation conference. Nintendo’s E3 Direct happens at 9:00 AM PDT (12:00 PM EDT) and we should see the new Smash Bros. along with Fortnite and whatever else Nintendo has to reveal.

No sales expire tomorrow, so you can just worry about the new stuff! Keep an eye out every weekday for more SwitchArcade Roundups! We want to hear your feedback on Nintendo Switch coverage on TouchArcade. Comment below or tweet us with your thoughts!