Doom Eternal Nintendo Switch Port Is Now A Digital-Only Release

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Doom Eternal is moving to a digital-only release on Nintendo Switch, which resulted in some confusion with customers thinking that the port had been scrapped when their pre-orders were cancelled. Doom Eternal was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC this year to positive reviews. It was followed by a DLC expansion called The Ancient Gods, which had an equally warm reception.

As poorly matched as Doom might seem for Nintendo’s family friendly image, the 2016 shooter revival received a port on the hybrid console, and Doom Eternal was announced to get the same treatment. Fans were growing impatient when the Switch port hadn’t arrived months after the game’s release on other consoles, but developer id Software reassured them in September that its Switch launch was nigh.

Despite that update, fans recently had good reason to worry that the Switch port of Doom Eternal would never arrive at all. As IGN reports, fans who pre-ordered the game began having those pre-orders cancelled, leading some to believe that the game itself would no longer be released. However, a Bethesda spokesperson told IGN that the game was still on track for release, but only in digital format. Fans who pre-ordered the physical edition of the game are now having those reservations cancelled and refunded. There’s still no word from Bethesda on when the Doom Eternal port will finally hit the Switch, but the company says that its release is “imminent.”

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While Doom Eternal is still on track for its Switch release, the future of the Bethesda games’ multiplatform releases is in question. Earlier this year, Microsoft purchased Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media, for $7.5 billion. It’s already been confirmed that Doom Eternal will be coming to Game Pass as part of the deal, and it’s possible that high-profile games from the developer could become Xbox exclusives in the future. For now, all that Microsoft is willing to say is that it will be the platform of choice to play the “first or best” versions of Bethesda games.

Fortunately for anyone still waiting to play Doom Eternal on the same console they use to play Animal Crossing, it looks like the game is not only still in the works, but preparing to finally launch soon. While it may be disappointing that it won’t be released in physical form, especially for those running out of room on the Switch’s limited built-in storage, a digital-only release is certainly better than none at all.