Assassin's Creed Odyssey Is Coming To Nintendo Switch, But There's A Catch

What? Why? Seems kind of silly.

If it goes west I'll give it a try.

If they can make it work then I'll buy it, but streaming games always has it's issues..

Why not on the american direct?

So the Assassin's Creed games aren't entirely skipping Switch but...

That's so strange...

Like Re7, is the power differential THAT significant to where it couldn't run well regularly???

@KryptoniteKrunch they just dont want to risk a port, Capcom is the one that persuade Nintendo to increase the RAM in Switch to 4GB to be compatible with the RE7's engine (intially it was 2gb, wtf?)

I mean hey, if the game can't run, there's no downside to this and plenty of upside.

Better for some people to be able to play the game in some capacity than not at all.

So while I personally will not benefit from this, nor am I particularly fond of cloud-based streaming for video games. I am at least happy for our Japanese brethren who will be able to enjoy this on Nintendo Switch.

And I think it shows that they are interested in getting these games on the system but there is a realistic limitation to what the system can do as a hybrid. And I think we all understand that.

This is so weird.

@KryptoniteKrunch It could just be that the developers aren't sure if they want to put the effort into porting it. Or it could be that the engines the games run on would take too much work to get it running on the Switch

None of us is willing to give into the lack of ownership that's the messed up world of game streaming, but I guess that works as a loophole to get around Nintendo consoles' inferior specs.

Still, it's something, so yay Ubisoft, I guess!

if i wanted this, i'll get on other platforms. not getting these cloud versions of these games.

Did not see this coming. Still if it works then bring it

It’s great for people who have no other way to play it. I’d just play it on another machine and avoid the messing around

@ballistic90 @KryptoniteKrunch Er...game carts not big enough. Assassin's Creed take like over 50GB for one game. Probably same with RE7.
I'm assuming they are waiting for 64GB carts to launch stateside?

"Why Nintendo decided against showing this trailer in the west remains to be seen"

Because of how Japanese internet services compare to many western ones?

@Retsam Hmmm... Good point, but I'm not entirely convinced that is the only catch.

@Retsam it's got nothing to do with cart size. The games cannot run on switch without significant downgrade. Instead of doing that the publishers would rather stream the full version for switch

In Japan they generally have great high speed internet connections most places. Not so much in America or southern parts of Europe.

You need those super high speed connection to make cloud gaming work great. So no surprise that we won't see these titles in the West.

To many areas do no not have the necessary infrastructure to make this work properly, and that would mean to many angry customers for Nintendo to handle.

With our piss poor internet. This is never coming to the west.

I guess if you have nothing else.

But really, if you doing this It is time to invest on a console or PC that can run it native. I lost 5 games when OnLive went under - didn't even work all that well. Never again.

Bright side - At least this way you get guaranteed cloud save on Switch - but willing to loose it after you done 🤔

@ballistic90 @Nudawa

Yeah, fair enough. On the brightside, at least folks in Japan are still getting the game.

Assassin's Creed isnt that big in Japan. Why does Ubisoft even bother?

@westman98 Oh, that is a good point 🤔

No thanks

No real lose.

A big “NO THANKS” to streaming games.

Japan can keep it as far as I’m concerned.

@westman98

Maybe because it's easy to do?
Capcom and Nintendo already made the heavy lifting and development when they released RE7 this way.

This game could just be a slightly modified PC / PS4 game with some Switch controller inclusion, that run on a great server setup. No processing is done on Switch.

With the great internet infrastructure in Japan, this is a great opportunity for Ubisoft to test cloud / stream gaming.

Streaming only is a HUGE catch NL. And it doesn't come outside of Japan, so no luck for 99% of us.

@kobashi100 Sorry misread your comment. I agree. I think its about maximising the experience without downgrading the assets which is expensive. That said, it can run Doom Eternal but that game isn't even over 21GB.

Imagine there being Super Mario Odyssey DLC for it.

pass cant believe ubisoft is stooping this low and going the same route like capcom did with resident evil 7.

@Retsam

id Tech 6 engine from Bethesda that is used for Doom, is pretty great at scaling down. This makes it possible to run massive games like Doom and Wolfenstein natively on Switch.

Other big engines like Unreal or Frostbite doesn't work to great on the Switch hardware, and therefore makes it impossible to run some large current-gen games on Switch that is developed by those. Then streaming is the only option.

@westman98 low cost and low resource for ubisoft

"Why Nintendo decided against showing this trailer in the west remains to be seen"

...it's because streaming games on the Switch are not leaving Japan, at least not any time soon.

Why doesn’t Ubisoft create a Switch exclusive Assassin’s Creed? They could use a modified engine from Assassin’s Creed Rogue to run well on the Switch. This way, there wouldn’t be a need to stream via cloud services. I doubt the steaming service will hit the West.

I will get it... on PS4. Thanks but no thanks to game streaming.

Games like this I just get on PS4.

Reads article title

Me: Let me guess.... It's streaming only, plus exclusive to Japan like RE7.

Reads article

Me: ...+5 to Tyranexx.

"it's worth noting that none of the other Switch cloud-based games have made it out of Japan as yet". Isn't Resident Evil 7 the only one?

No way! Stream this...

5G is coming next year it can reached 1.3Gbps speed, finally making game streaming feasible. That's why this year's iPhone sucks, Apple knew people are waiting to upgrade their phone next year for 5G.

A new model of Switch next year will have 5G.

cloud gaming... sucks to your assmar, piggy

What a load of cow manure.... You can guarantee there won't be buyers for a fact. And I will be one of them.

@Nincompoop well the name says it all. Cloud gaming sucks goat it has yet to overcome bandwidth hogs. Not everyone can get Fiber to stream and even then that cost goats. So Cloud just plain sucks goats' nuts. I'll pass gass instead.

So, do you have to pay for online to play a single player offline game that's streaming online?

I suppose it's not a problem in Japan where everybody will pay for NO just for Spaltoon, but it's still a question if it's required. Wasnt' a question for RE7 since free.

I do believe that more than anything this is somewhat of a beta test for a new way to deliver gaming. First, they certainly will have an opportunity to tweak the system to get it running smoothly. Second, it will give them an idea on whether or not consumers are willing to game this way. If it works we could see more. It could also be a baseline for whether or not their own subscription service might work.

I set up a Japanese account on my Switch but didn't get RE7. How did it work? Did you pay for the game and then install something or is it just streaming the game. Also, were there English audio and/or text options? The internet in Korea is just as good as Japan so I would be interested in playing AC:O on my Switch.

I think the problem is THE FILE SIZE of the game.
As i can see from pc and other consoles its about 50 GB.
I think we will have a physical release next year with the 64GB cartridges!!! And also i think we will have more major AAA third party on switch with these cartridges.
The good is that switch improves that is a powerfull portable machine and can run almost everything if can run AC odyssey. The only that we need is patience. I remember EA SPORTS boss Lazarescu said that we might see next year a FIFA builted on frostbite for switch. The problem is not that switch can't run frostbite but the file size. Frostbite needs GBs. So he said us that even EA wait 64 GB cartridges.

I'm surprised they went with the latest one and not an older game. I think it'll make it to the West eventually AND as a physical release.

Wow that is so cool! That they can make it work this way on switch.

@Scirocco7 Hah, I don't think it's just the file size. Switch really can't run it without massive downgrades. Also, 64GB would be pretty expensive to use even though it would help. Seriously, almost nobody is using the 32GB carts available now..

@Scirocco7

You do realise that the file size of any switch version of AAA games will be a lot less then PS4/PC version right.

AC: Oddessy ported for switch would be a completely different experience over the streaming version. There would be downgrades made which would more then half the file size. The game is not in development for Switch just like RE7 isn't. Ubisoft wouldn't release a cloud version in Japan and then months later release a physical version.

The only way you will play AC: Oddessy on switch is via the cloud

@Mars I'd be cool with the Ezio Collection on the Switch. Seems like a good place to start.

Will never play a cloud based game, just don't trust it, physical all the way

@JaxonH The problem I have with this is that we will be paying full price for the game, but we can't play on the go and we're just renting it for two years instead of owning it forever.
PS4 and Xbox owners keep their game when purchasing it, right? But Switch owners only rent it for a period of time while still paying full price...

Time for Ubisoft to do some more Miyamoto ass-kissing to get Nintendo to give them a Mario Odyssey crossover for the Switch version...

@kobashi100
You are right for downgrades but more than half size is difficult. You cant make a game from 50 GB to 25. Then is something else not the same game. As FIFA 18. The only same thing on this game on switch version and ps4 version is the name. And also dont forget that all last technology games are full of updates that needs more GBs. My opinion is that next year with bigger cartridges we will see more major games.
More expensive but more games.

@rjejr I don't think you'll need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play this game. It's not a multiplayer game.

You pay the subscription to be able to play online, not to just access the Internet.

Needing a subscription to play this game would be the same as needing it to access the eShop... imho...

@Scirocco7

You are wrong.

Doom on PS4 is around 50 GB, but just under 25 GB on Switch.

Yes thats right. I am wrong.
The trooth is that if assasins creed for switch is like doom then i dont want to play it on switch. It will be awfull as doom.

Have any of the whiners actually tried streaming gaming?

I mean, I live in the North of Russia, with Playstation Now not even launched officially here. The closest servers are in Germany like 2000 km away. And I've happily completed The Last of Us, Beyond, Heavy Rain and Uncharted 1-3 without any noticeable lag.

Would it be cool to own a PS4 and those games? Sure. But am I glad to have experienced some of the best games in the industry? You bet.

@KryptoniteKrunch In this case....probably. Bethesda has been really good about creating games that can downscale easily. Not so with every developer. The latest Assiassin's Creed was designed with the PS4-Pro and XB1X as the downscaled ports of the power PC version. If I remember right, they reduce postprocessing, resolution, and framerate to play on the base PS4 and XBone. After that....what else can you cut, really? Add fog of war and limit the characters visible on screen? It doesn't feel the same, and might turn the Nintendo first-timers off the franchise. Ubisoft could either do what they did with the Vita and create an original spinoff title tailored to the system, or stream the real experience and get it out faster. Maybe both.

That said, the problem with streaming is that access will eventually be lost. Ideally they could provide download codes for the PC server host. Players could opt to host the game and stream locally if they have a powerful enough PC. Eliminates lag, and is archived for as long as you want.

wow ubi is really striving for goodwill switch owners however this is a really bad idea imho.. did they do a test pool? they probably had gigabit network isolated for the test and were like WOW look at these amazing results!! yeah let's try that again on the internet over 15 hops..

@Smug43

Why is this a bad idea, if it's only going to be exclusive for Japan? A country with great internet infrastructure.

What I hear is that RE7 is running really great on Switch with those great internet connection over there.

Why should Nintendo wait with game streaming in Japan, were everything is ready for this?

Wait for backward countries like USA to get a proper internet infrastructure? Why should they not experiment with this in Japan?

People are so against this when they can't join the fun. But RE7 is working great over there.

And Assassin's Creed Odyssey could potentially also run much better on cloud servers and good connections, than it would ever do natively on the Switch hardware.

@dres
Maybe people in Japan are more receptive to this type of model however it's not just the technology that irks me, it's the "cloud model" It's not like digital. At some point they will remove the game from the cloud and you will never be able to access it again.

NOPE!

@maruse "Needing a subscription to play this game would be the same as needing it to access the eShop... imho..."

You are probably right, but I never could get over Microsoft requiring Live Gold to watch Netflix, which you had to pay for separately, on Xbox. They finally let it go for free, but it seemed stupid at the time and it's stuck with me.

https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/13/microsoft-said-to-be-dropping-xbox-live-as-a-requirement-for-netflix-hulu/

@rjejr I didn't know about that... and it's surprising to say the least

@Smug43

I agree, that there is some issues with distribution of cloud games like this.

But the same goes for online-only games today. The original Splatoon barely had any single player content, and would be worthless as well, if they took down the servers. Other games like Battlefield sufferers from this too. It's the same problem.

I think these single cloud games from Nintendo should be distributed through rental, with a small price pr. month. At least until the cloud back catalogue were bigger, and they also could offer some kind of subscription service.

That would be more fair to customers instead of Nintendo claiming full retail prices for these kind of games.

Dear readers, who here has actually played RE7 cloud in Japan? Please can you give an honest opinion of the service? So far I’ve read a couple of positive comments. I really really want RE7 to come to Switch, so much so I’d definitely rent from the cloud if it plays well (and comes to Europe- unlikely atm)

@dres pricing has nothing to do with Nintendo. RE7 and AC: Oddessy pricing is set by the capcom and ubisoft

@pinta_vodki yeah I have and I can do it just fine where I live now but half of the state I live in doesn't even have high speed internet access so I don't really have an issue with people not wanting this or claiming that it won't work on their internet. My experience doesn't just invalidate theirs.

Streaming doesn't interest me personally even though I can do it. I did PS Now and it wasn't the same as using my Ps3. The graphics were dull and there could be slight lag between button pushes. Even then it's not the same as pushing cloud service on a portable console which makes no sense at all.

I'd rather not have the games then have cloud based subscription to them. If you want them that's fine too.

This has nothing to do with the Switch!

Game streaming is coming and the upcoming PS5 and XBOne 2 are going to be game streaming devices, with very little hardware in it.
AMD is currently working with both Microsoft and Sony to make it happen in the next generation.

Major publishers, Sony and Microsoft are already offering Game Pass subscriptions, where you can download their entire catalog of games for a fixed price subscription a month.

The next step is you not downloading locally at all anymore, but just stream. Just like Netflix and Spotify.

Publishers don't want you to buy Physical anymore, since it's hurting their bottom line. You already see the controversy with the Nintendo Switch cartridges.
They want you to buy digitally, since that will maximize their profits!

Switch is a supplementary console. For highly demanding games like this one, get a PC/XO/PS4. End of story.

@kobashi100

Perhaps. But then Ubisoft and Capcom should offer a rental service for these kind of games.

These cloud games are clearly a collaboration between Nintendo and major publishers. It's based on servers at Nintendo Japan, and those publishers could not pull this off on Switch, without Nintendo reaching out.

I bet it is Nintendo who came to Capcom and Ubisoft, and wanted to try out this cloud gaming experiment with some of the publishers biggest and demanding games.

Nintendo reached out and made this happen. They could also have defined another kind of distribution for these kind of cloud games, instead of a full price model. So Nintendo has something to say here also.

They didn't show it in the west because they themselves know how stupid of an idea this sort of cloud gaming is. It's utter trash. It works poorly at best and you are being asked to pay full price to rent the game. If that's not enough, the online requirement defeats one of the core aspects of the Switch - the portability.

Makes sense that it would only be shown in Japan if that is where they will open the service first. Which itself makes total sense, as they can guarantee a certain level of network performance within most of their home country.

If this service takes off, future improvements could guarantee that games too demanding for Switch (and eventually too demanding for Xbox One and PS4 as well) could still be played on the system with satisfying performance.

I've played games on two of the services that previously attempted this, and it was not ideal, although not exactly awful either. Playing Arkham City on full settings on an Asus Eee netbook from 2007 felt very promising for the technology. And internet speeds have moved a lot since the days of OnLive.

@beazlen1

This cloud gaming is clearly an experiment from Nintendo together with major publishers and their biggest and most demanding games.

The servers are based in Japan only, and the games intended to be played inside Japan on great internet connections.

People in Japan says RE7 is running great, while Americans and Europeans says it runs poorly. This makes sense, because it's only based on servers in Japan currently.

So we in the west have to wait for Nintendo making it available to us, on local servers.

I've actually been using GeForce Now Beta to play some of my games this way, and I'm surprised to say that it actually runs well. Granted, I have a 300/10mbit connection, but it shows it's a possibility to do the same for Switch. What would be interesting to know if nVidia is working together with them to make this happen.

That said, I still prefer physical copies

@Aozz101x awesome avatar btw.

@dres they will find a way to shove it down our throats no doubt about that, if they can get more control over the ownership of our games this will be a dream for publishers and will kill used and physical games at the same time too.

Why Nintendo, why????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Unless Ubisoft brings a proper port of Assasssin's Creed Odyssey to the Switch, I'll just buy it for my PS4 instead.

Why not a standalone game instead? Remember when the Vita version of Assassin's Creed 3 of all things was considered better than the main console version?

have you seen the alledged price of this WTF. No wonder ubisoft wants streaming to be the future. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF bunch con men.

WILL NOT be giving this any attention. Half the reason is because I want the game on my console/game card and the other half is because I will not be supporting this technology. No interest in this will give lack of incentive for other companies to pursue it.

Much work needs to be done with internet infrastructure and data caps and throttling before this kind if crap should be used. Yuck.

Streaming games from one machine to another... We're not there yet. Maybe a slow paced game would be okay, but anything that requires precision is basically unplayable.

In okay with not having AAA games on switch. Most gamers have a PS4/XB1 or both alongside the switch. Those games are big theatre games that wouldn't be as good in a handheld size, they're games you want to play on the big screen with big Sound

I would like to see streaming games on my Switch personally. Back when I had my PS3 I could play the streaming games on PlayStation Now and they worked fine. I would pay a “rental fee” that was a portion of the cost and unless you’re someone who wants to keep all your games forever I can’t think of an argument against it. Anytime you sell a game you will get about half the cost back- that’s around $30 to “rent” the game you owned. The Switch is the only console I own now so streaming games would get me into some new games I wouldn’t get otherwise.

@Mamabear heres the first argument against it.... DATA CAPS... 300GB a month is all comcast gives in my area even on my gigabit connection from them. want another reason competitve gameplay is non exhistant on streaming... the lag is just not gonna work for competitve gameplay.

@Almighty-Koz
But not all contries and areas have bad data plans and connection.

In Japan and here in Scandinavia we don't have these kind of third world problems. Why can't we have those streaming games?

Sorry if you live in a remote area, but why can't we just move on? Do we need to wait for everyone?

I can't really see the big problem as long as cloud gaming just is a nice alternative for people who live in areas with good connections and affordable data plans. As long as it isn't the main distribution method of games.

@Almighty-Koz Having data caps is a valid reason for not streaming games for you personally. I don’t have any data caps with my plan and I’m sure there are plenty others that don’t too.

My argument is not for all games to become cloud based streaming games making physical games obsolete. There are plenty games I would not stream- Splatoon and Fortnite that I regularly play. But I would stream Assassin’s Creed which is a single player game I think. I would also stream Red Dead Redemption 2, Mario Bros U, etc.

Honestly many people are opting to buy digital versions of games these days and I foresee streaming games to become much more popular in the future.

@dres “we don’t have these kinds of third world problems “ 😂😂

I guess from other people’s reactions we have third world internet in the US.

Obviously an experiment from ubi. It's unlikely to sell well regardless (in Japan), but it could open up to providing all their back catalogue via the cloud.

5G is no panacea - game streaming has massive data requirements. People seem content to play one of the million available app store mobile games instead on the go

If they work on porting odyssey to the switch, it will happen after the full release on the other consoles. It's going to take time and cost $$$.

@Mamabear

Yeah. I am little provocative here

USA is such a big country and I know the quality of internet infrastructure and pricing varies so much from area to area. Its the same in Europe.

North Europe and Scandinavia has cheap and fast fiber almost everywhere, with no data caps. Not so much in southern Europe.

I just think that cloud games is a great alternative in areas with good internet infrastructure.

@Mamabear the reason you wont see it in places like scandinavia is money if they cant sell it to the masses then they wont try, to do streaming right they will have to build servers somewhere near you, aka i live in jersey not rural just uber expensive if i want unlimited data from comcast(shocking they did away with no caps soon after net neutrality was killed if i want unlimited i can pay them another 50$ untop of the 100$ i already pay) back to the point they would have to build servers on the east coast or there would be significant lag, which was the original problem i had with psnow dead island was unplayable so was one of the call of dutys i tried(unplayable meaning online play was hampered badly)

I’m definitely not a fan of streaming games. If they had a plan like Xbox Game Pass it would be an easier pill to swallow. Even then, the internet infrastructure of America is piss poor. I have download speeds of up to 100mb/s, and even though my console is hardwired, trying to remote play anything on PS4 shows me this tech isn’t ready for prime time.

its the future, deal with it.

i personaly embrace it, but im not gonna pay a physical price to play it streamed.

btw we have excellent internet speed here(the netherlands) up to 1000MB/ps via glassfiber. my only question is, can the switch wifi protocol handle its speed?
and what will it cost

@Kang81
the problem in america is that most internet connections comes from copper wired cables wich are shared with your neighbourhood, wich loss bandwidth at busy hours.
dont you have glassfibre in america?

in some area's around the world the infrastructure wont allow fast internet because of the rockbottom.
but very fast internet by air is getting better and faster the last couple of years.

So what I'm hearing is buy it on another platform if at all? OK

The reason ACO was announced in Japan and nowhere else + RE7 and Phantasy Star Online 2 still being exclusive to Japan on Switch should spell out the reason for you : Cloud gaming CAN work to a certain degree in Japan because it's a "one-country-market" onto itself so servers are never too far away and the Japanese internet infrastructure is generations ahead of anything we got everywhere else in the world.

Bottom line : Don't expect that version anywhere else.

@PALversusNTSC

We do have fiber connections, but it’s very limited as far as I’m aware. I’m sure it’s costly to widely implement fiber across the country, so I don’t forsee our ISPs doing that anytime soon. From what I understand, major cities are more likely to have fiber Internet then anywhere else for the foreseeable future.

I'm a little cautious about the idea of games being streamed. What happens in 15 years when the servers are shut down? Do I still get to play the game that I "own"?

I think this has something to do with what I ask Ubisoft to do. By the way, I didn't tell them to release the Switch version in Japan only, I ask them to do something about one of Nintendo's franchises that many people have been asking for another game. I would've say what this is, but I don't want to reveal too much. But what I can say is it could be like how we got the inclusion of Star Fox for the Switch version of Starlink: Battle for Atlas.