Nintendo intends to make marked improvements to the Switch eShop’s layout and functionality.
During a press talk at the Game Developers Conference 2018 Damon Baker, Nintendo’s senior manager for publisher and developer relations, said that the company is looking to improve the ‘discoverability and visibility’ of the store (thanks to Eurogamer for the story).
Currently, users are only able to select between Recent Releases or Coming Soon tabs, as well as search directly for a product. This can make it quite difficult to scan through the Switch’s full catalogue, and could lead to some titles essentially vanishing from the storefront unless searched for directly.
"We've heard the feedback from yourselves, from fans, loud and clear, about the limitations of the Nintendo eShop," Baker said.
As the Switch’s digital catalogue expands with both indie and AAA titles we expect some form of categories to appear for users to swap between.
Nintendo reported that digital third party sales have now exceeded physical goods for the first time in North America, making it a top priority for the Switch to have a friends eShop interface. The top-selling indie games on the eShop were also revealed, including some surprisingly recent additions:
- SteamWorld Dig 2
- Stardew Valley
- Kamiko
- Celeste
- Fast RMX
- Overcooked
- Golf Story
- Enter the Gungeon
- NBA Playgrounds
- Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
The Switch has continued to establish itself as a go-to platform for indie developers over the last year, who will no doubt welcome an improved interface via which players can purchase their games.