Summary
After weeks of rumors swirling around the title’s existence,LEGO Horizon Adventuresgot an official reveal as part of Summer Game Fest 2024, and the title is already shaping up to be one of the more anticipated LEGO games in years thanks to its lighthearted and humorous take on the post-apocalyptic wasteland from Sony and Guerrilla Games’Horizonseries. One of the more surprising parts of the official announcement of the game was that it’s arriving later this year not just on PlayStation consoles, but also as a day 1 release on PC and Nintendo Switch. While PC players are no strangers to receiving Sony first-party titles on the platform,LEGO Horizon Adventures' release on the Switch is much more unexpected.
Microsoft Gaming CEO and industry figurehead Phil Spencer famously vocalized a desire to bringXbox Game Passto Nintendo Switch all the way back in 2020, but those plans never materialized for a variety of reasons. Nintendo is historically incredibly protective of its first-party IP, so it makes sense that the company’s hardware wouldn’t blur those lines by having other hardware manufacturers' first-party titles on the Switch.LEGO Horizon Adventures' arrival on the system is a welcome surprise, but the lack of hardware parity between Nintendo and Sony hardware means it might be a one-and-done event.
LEGO Horizon Adventures' Arrival on the Switch Makes Sense in the Context of LEGO Games
While it’s certainly unexpected for a first-party Sony game to arrive on the Nintendo Switch, it makes perfect sense for Nintendo’s hardware to get yet another game in the long line of LEGO titles based on popular IP. There are currently more than 15LEGO gamesavailable on the Nintendo Switch, including the massiveLEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, whose Switch version is impressive even when stacked up next to the PS5 and Xbox Series releases. Regardless of its use of a Sony first-party franchise,LEGO Horizon Adventures' place as a game within the LEGO brand makes its release on the Switch a foregone conclusion.
What remains to be seen is how the Switch will actually fare when trying to render the LEGO versions of theHorizonseries' sprawling open-world wasteland or its many mechanical monstrosities. Even though it makes sense for the latest game to use the LEGO brand to launch on the hardware, there’s every reason to believe that the Switch version won’t feature the same kind of performance or graphical fidelity as the PlayStation 5 or PC releases of the title. As such,LEGO Horizon Adventuresmight represent the one scenario where aPlayStation exclusivearriving on Switch is even possible.
Regardless of the Switch 2’s Specs, Fans Shouldn’t Hold Their Breath for More PS Exclusives
In all likelihood,LEGO Horizon Adventureswon’t be nearly as taxing on the Switch’s hardware as the mainlineHorizongames, or any other PlayStation-exclusive title for that matter. In that sense, the title’s arrival on Switch is less surprising, but also telling in terms of where Nintendo’s hybrid console sits in its life cycle. It’s no secret that Nintendo is planning to announcethe Switch’s successorat some point in the near future, with sources indicating that players should expect a 2025 release date. What they shouldn’t expect, though, is more PlayStation first-party exclusives coming to Nintendo hardware.
While industry patterns signal a changing of the guard in terms of console exclusives and companies' diverging strategies for hardware and software, Nintendo hardware has a track record of favoring accessibility and ease of use over pure technical prowess and horsepower.LEGO Horizon Adventures' first-party connections aside, Switch players planning on upgrading to the next iteration of the hardware shouldn’t expect the likes ofSpider-Man 2orGod of War: Ragnarokto ever land onthe Switch 2. For the time being, Switch players and LEGO fans have cause to celebrateLEGO Horizon Adventures' plans to come to the platform, but it’s by no means an indication of other games following suit.
LEGO Horizon Adventures
WHERE TO PLAY
In a far future, where giant mechanized beasts roam a landscape reclaimed by nature and humans live in primitive tribes, an ancient evil seeks to destroy the world…Join hunter Aloy as she leads a colourful crew of heroes on a quest to save the meadows, forests, and mountains of Earth from a man called Helis, who leads a gang of sunworshippers that follow an Ancient Evil shrouded in mystery.Dive into a thrilling adventure alone, or with friends with couch co-op or online play, customize your home in true LEGO style, and uncover stunning secrets from Aloy’s mysterious past along the way.
