Nintendo: Red Dead 2 not being on Switch was down to timing

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has said that Red Dead Redemption 2 not being available for Switch is principally down to timing.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Fils-Aime admitted that Nintendo would "love" to have Rockstar's blockbuster sequel on the Switch. However, understanding why it isn't means "an understanding of just the development process."

"Red Dead has been in development for years, time that predated any communication of Nintendo Switch," he said. "So, from the developer's mentality, they need to move forward and finish the game they've been working on and then be in a position to look at other opportunities."

Red Dead Redemption 2 earned more than $700 million in just three days on sale, and Red Dead Online is now live. As such, Rockstar may be in a position to start looking at other popular platforms.

"Any game from a key third-party that's coming out now, typically that development started well before any conversations about Nintendo Switch," Fils-Aime added. "What happens moving forward? We'll see. But that's how you wind up with a situation with Red Dead not being available on our platform."

Along with Fortnite, Red Dead Redemption 2 is perhaps the biggest game of 2018. However, while Rockstar's title is not available for the Switch, Nintendo struck a lucrative relationship with Epic on Fortnite, bundling the free-to-play game with its console.

Whether the Switch could support a version of a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 is an open question, though. In October, The Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo is preparing a more powerful version of the hardware for launch next year.