Ah, Borderlands 4… Remember that one? Gearbox Software’s latest entry in the looter shooter series was due to launch on Switch 2 in October last year, but it was unceremoniously delayed with development now completely paused.
According to a new interview with IO Interactive’s CEO Hakan Abrak, however, those looking forward to 007 First Light need not concern themselves with the notion that it may meet with the same fate. Speaking with Chris Dring from The Game Business, Abrak promised that First Light will launch on Switch 2, but the studio needs “a bit more time to get it where we want it to be”.
IOI is targeting a “late Summer” release on Nintendo’s system, so potentially August-ish, but we reckon it’s entirely possible that it could launch later depending on how much work needs to be done.
When Dring asked whether First Light was about to pull a Borderlands 4, Abrak responded:
“It’s running on the Switch 2. We just want to make sure it’s good as it can be. I don’t want to hear it wasn’t a good version. To be completely honest, we need a bit more time to get it where we want it to be. We said summer. It’s probably going be late summer. But we’re going to get it out.”
“Bond has a special place on Nintendo. And I promise I will do everything I can, and I can do quite a lot being the CEO, to get that in a great shape.”
Certainly sounds encouraging, though we do question exactly what more needs to be done on the Switch 2 version to get it up to scratch, especially since Abrak is still being quite vague with the release window.
If you remember, Hitman: World of Assassination was a launch title for the Switch 2, but problems persisted with its performance. Frame rate was frankly all over the place, essentially forcing IOI to release a patch adding in a locked 30fps mode.
