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The Switch Now Supports Sony's Multiformat PhyreEngine

Now even more game developers will be able to port their creations over to Nintendo's hardware.

Kevin Tucker

January 17, 2018 12:00 PM

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Nintendo has already shown some impressive third-party support with their hybrid Switch platform, offering a variety of gaming choices from budget-friendly ports of mobile games to full-fledged AAA titles of yesteryear like Doom 2016 or LA Noire. Being a Switch owner has been good so far, and it seems like it's only going to get better, as Sony has just announced that its own multiplatform PhyreEngine game engine is now compatible with the Nintendo Switch, opening up a new doorway for developers on other platforms to produce Switch games.

While the PhyreEngine name might not be immediately familiar to many game fans, some of the titles developed using the engine will be: Journey, Flower, Disgaea 4, Hotline Miami, Shatter, Dragon Quest Builders, and the Final Fantasy X and X-2 HD remasters were all developed using Sony's multiplatform engine, among many others.

As for the PhyreEngine's track record otherwise, it was formally launched in 2008 and found a stable release around 2011, or about three years before Sony fans would get their hands on the PlayStation 4. Since then, the PhyreEngine platform has been used to create games for just about every recent Sony console, ranging from the PSP to the PS4 and even PlayStation VR. PhyreEngine is also compatible with other major platforms like Windows PCs, iOS, and Android, and its free-to-use nature means it's finding new developers all the time.

We can't exactly say just what players should expect now that the Switch supports Sony's Phyre Engine, but we do know that there now fewer hurdles between eager development studios and what could be the next breakout Switch experience.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.