For Nintendo Switch 2 players, the release of Castlevania: Curse of Belmont has been something of a "monkey's paw" situation—a classic IP makes a grand return with solid quality, but it's only available on the original Switch, with no optimized version for the new console. Even a former marketing executive who once worked at Nintendo finds this decision quite baffling.
In a video posted on social media, Kit Ellis, former Senior PR Manager at Nintendo of America, expressed his confusion regarding Konami's release strategy for the reboot of the Belmont family's battle against Dracula. He stated, "If you're a Castlevania fan who primarily plays on the Switch 2, it's completely understandable to have mixed feelings about Castlevania: Curse of Belmont."
"Konami's approach to this game is a bit strange," he continued. "They never intended to release a Switch 2 version. Sure, you can play it on the Switch 2, but it's just the original Switch game published by Konami, without a version specifically optimized for the Switch 2."
I really can't figure out why releasing a Switch 2 version would be unfeasible. Ellis pointed out that, based on the demo, Castlevania: Curse of Belmont runs at 60 fps on the Switch 2, which is decent, but the resolution leaves something to be desired.
"When running on the Switch 2, the image is indeed a bit blurry and the pixelation is quite noticeable," he said. "But I guess having it is better than nothing."
The early Castlevania titles were all released on the NES and SNES, so there's a deep historical connection between the two brands. This makes Ellis particularly puzzled by the current release strategy. He added, "It feels like Konami didn't put much effort into releasing this game." I completely agree, though I'm still looking forward to getting my hands on the game when it officially launches on October 15.