Sign up for Nintendo Switch development
Support for the Nintendo Switch platform is not included in the standard version of Defold. In order to get access to Nintendo Switch support in Defold you need to:
- Become a Defold community donor with Nintendo Switch access included in your membership tier, and
- Become a registered game developer for Nintendo platforms.
Become a Defold community donor with Nintendo Switch access
You become a Defold community donor on the Defold community donation page. You can become a donor with Nintendo Switch access using either GitHub Sponsors or Patreon. Pay attention to the available tiers and select one which includes Nintendo Switch access.
Register as a game developer for Nintendo platforms
You register as a game developer for Nintendo platforms at the Nintendo Developer Portal:
When you register you will get access to Nintendo developer tools and resources to create and publish games and applications for current Nintendo platforms.
Request Defold access
When you have been approved by Nintendo you need to log in to the Nintendo Developer Portal and visit the Tools and Middleware page and sign up for Defold access. When you register for Defold access we will get an email from Nintendo verifying you as a registered Nintendo developer. We will then proceed to verify you as a community donor with Nintendo Switch access included in your membership tier.
When we have verified you as a donor with Nintendo Switch access we will provide you with the access to the following:
- Versions of the Defold editor and the Defold command line tools (bob.jar) with support for bundling to the Nintendo Switch platform.
- Private forum group where you are able to get Nintendo Switch specific support.
- Nintendo Switch specific documentation
- API reference to Nintendo Switch specific engine functionality.
FAQ
Q: Why is Nintendo Switch access not free?
A: One of the objectives of the Defold Foundation is to make sure that the Defold software is available to developers world-wide and that the source code is available free of charge. The Defold Foundation will never compromise on this objective, but in this case access to the Nintendo Switch SDK, tools and resources is strictly controlled by Nintendo. This means that the source code for the Nintendo Switch platform implementation in Defold, including the editor and command line tools, can not be made available. This also means that the Defold Foundation is unable to receive community contributions to the code and documentation and it is the foundation which must provide all of the support and updates to the platform for as long as it is required to. The Nintendo Switch access fee will help ensure that the foundation has the resources necessary to support the platform.
Q: Do I need to install additional tools to build for Nintendo Switch?
A: You will be able to create application bundles directly from both the Defold editor and command line tools. Information about how to test on Nintendo Switch hardware will be provided to you when you are given access to the Nintendo Switch platform.
Q: Is it still easy to use a single code base if I decide to also target the Nintendo Switch platform?
A: Yes, all of the standard Defold API functions are available also for the Nintendo Switch platform. In addition to the standard functionality you will also have access to a couple of Nintendo Switch specific functions, but in general the code should be able to remain exactly the same across multiple platforms.