Capcom developers were initially skeptical about Nintendo Switch 2's ability to handle modern Resident Evil titles, but performance tests have completely reversed those doubts. The upcoming Resident Evil Requiem launches this Friday alongside other platforms, marking the first new series entry to debut simultaneously on Nintendo hardware since 2012.
Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi revealed his team had reservations after first seeing Switch 2's form factor.
"When we, the development team, first saw it in our hands. We were skeptical too,"
Nakanishi said in a Creator's Voice episode posted to Nintendo's YouTube channel.
"We thought to ourselves, 'Oh, is this really running on Nintendo Switch 2?'"
The skepticism evaporated quickly during testing.
"The Nintendo Switch 2 system has improved graphical specs, so we wondered if Requiem could run on it, and it did, with ease,"
Nakanishi confirmed.
His team performed a "triple take" before deciding to proceed with a native port rather than scaling back the game.
Performance benchmarks from recently released Resident Evil titles support Nakanishi's turnaround. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard runs at a consistent 60fps in handheld mode at 1080p on Switch 2 hardware, while Resident Evil Village maintains mostly stable performance but experiences occasional frame rate drops during outdoor exploration and combat sequences.
These are complete Gold Edition ports containing all DLC and bonus content, representing an upgrade over the cloud-based versions previously available on original Switch hardware.
Frame rate drops occur only during explosive cinematic moments and rarely disrupt gameplay according to hands-on testing. The visual quality approaches PlayStation 4 levels despite missing ray tracing features present on current-generation consoles.
Switch 2 owners get definitive portable versions of both games without internet dependency issues that plagued earlier cloud releases. The Gold Editions bundle all downloadable content including cosmetic items and story expansions that previously required separate purchases.
Pricing matches new release standards at £34.99/$39.99 for Biohazard and £44.99/$49.99 for Village. This positions the ports as premium offerings rather than budget re-releases.
Resident Evil Requiem arrives February 27 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 simultaneously. The day-one launch breaks a fourteen-year drought for new Resident Evil titles appearing on Nintendo platforms at release alongside other systems.
"It's been a really long time since we've had a new Resident Evil game released on a Nintendo platform on the same day as other platforms,"
Nakanishi noted about the significance of simultaneous release.
