Did An Indie Developer Accidentally Slip Up?
Ever since Microsoft added Achievements to Xbox in 2005 and Sony in 2007 on PlayStation, Nintendo fans have been asking whether a similar integrated system would ever grace a Nintendo console. It didn’t happen with Wii (Wiiwards would have been a perfect name, don’t you think?) or the Wii U, but it’s possible that Switch may have something in the pipeline.
At a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) with indie developer Lichthund, they seemingly let slip that Nintendo is working on an Achievement/Trophy system. They recanted the remark shortly afterward when prodded for more information.
You can read the exchange below which began when someone asked about online rankings in their new Switch game, Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition:
“Nintendo doesn’t have an official support for Achievements and Leaderboards, like Sony or Microsoft but we know that they’re working on it.
…Oops.
Move along. Nothing to see here.
PS. But seriously – I have a really strong feeling they hinted it a few times. [Tom]”
While certainly not a confirmation, it does make sense that a Switch developer may have gotten this information simply from working on development hardware. The fact that “Oops” was said after someone asked them to clarify implies that they said something they probably shouldn’t have. This could also be treated as an offhand comment by Lichthund, merely as an attempt to fuel the rumour mill. As for Nintendo hinting it themselves, that just isn’t the case. Although, RiME developer, Tequila Works, previously stated that the Switch version is taking longer because they wanted to include their own Achievement system within the game. However, this still doesn’t confirm an integrated system in the console.
Nintendo has played around with Accomplishments on the 3DS which was only included in the StreetPass Plaza. Players could complete these by hitting certain milestones like progressing in games like FindMii or meeting lots of people through StreetPass. If we were to speculate, we’d expect an achievement system for Switch launching alongside the online service in 2018 or as a MyNintendo account addition.
We suppose we’ll just have to wait and see if what Lichthund has said will come true. Let us know in the comments if you’d like an achievement system on the Switch.