Rumors of a Nintendo Direct on Jan. 11 have been flying around the internet, and to build on them, there have been plenty more rumors talking about what will happen during the Direct. However, not all rumors are created equally, so let’s dive into one of the biggest ones: GTA V releasing on the Nintendo Switch.
Before you start dreaming of flying a plane high over downtown Los Santos while on-the-go, tap on the brakes. The source of this rumor is reddit user DasVergeben, who has a rocky history of accuracy. In a truly massive text post on the Kappa subreddit, DasVergeben lays out all of the leaks he or she has learned. Many of the rumors revolve around Soul Calibur VI, Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite and Devil May Cry 5, but ends with a huge list of Nintendo-related rumors. Included is the “news” that GTA V will release on the Switch.
Not only does DasVergeben claim GTA V will come to Switch, he/she also says the port will be featured in the rumored Nintendo Direct. Additionally, DasVergeben claims Rockstar is planning something else for the Switch, and guesses this could be Red Dead Redemption remastered for the Nintendo console/handheld.
First, let’s check the track record for DasVergeben. Yes, the user did accurately leak the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DLC for Injustice 2, but that’s basically where the true leaks end. From there, we have a whole mountain of claims made by the redditor that either haven’t been announced yet, or are outright false.
Next, let’s think of the realities of GTA 5 on Switch. First, GTA 5 is a huge game, and the Switch is already dealing with size limits. LA Noire, for example, requires players to have an external memory card because there’s no other way to fit all the information onto a console. Looking at Xbox One download sizes, LA Noire is around 17 GB, while GTA 5 comes in at 45 GB. That’s massive, and would probably be the biggest game released on the Switch to date. What about the 64 GB game cartridges we’ve heard about? Looks like those are delayed to 2019, too.
GTA 5 isn’t just a single-player game either. Rockstar’s crowning jewel (and massive money-maker) is GTA Online. Know what console doesn’t really have a great online environment set up? The Switch! The last we heard about the Switch Online service, it looks like that could be delayed as well. Rockstar doesn’t seem like the kind of company to re-re-re-release GTA V without GTA Online, so that’s another strike against this rumor.
Additionally, the added info about another Rockstar game coming to the Switch also hurts the credibility of the rumor. Rockstar is hard at work finishing up Red Dead Redemption 2. Along with the ever-expanding GTA Online, there’s no time to be working on two new Switch games on top of everything else. Even if Rockstar outsourced the work, that still seems like a ton of releases from a company known for their long development times and limited release schedule.
The only way to know for sure is to keep an eye on the Nintendo social feeds. The first hurdle will be if a Nintendo Direct even happens at all this month, then we’ll see what is actually revealed on the Direct.
So what do you think? Would you like to see GTA 5 on the Switch? Do you believe this rumor, or do you agree that it seems too good to be true? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
