'Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night': Game is Moving to Nintendo Switch; Ditches Wii U Release

By Jessica Ferrera, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, March 23, 2017

Developers of the upcoming game "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" have recently announced that they are making the big move to the Nintendo Switch and will no longer release the game on Wii U.

In an official statement through the game's Kickstarter page, game producer Koji Igarashi addressed the backers "who pledged for the Wii U version," saying, "During our Kickstarter campaign, the Wii U was at the height of its popularity, but the situation has drastically changed after the release of Nintendo Switch."

"This change made it difficult to receive the necessary support from the hardware maker, which has led us to drop the Wii U development and shift the development to Nintendo Switch," Igarashi further explained.

While the game producer is deeply apologizing for the sudden change of direction of the game, several of the backers' comments - which can be found below Igarashi's official statement - are actually highly positive and appreciative of the recent announcement.

One backer with username AnonTheMouse even said: "It's good to see the team handling this so responsibly, and not wasting resources where they don't need to. Good work, guys!"

Meanwhile, another backer also explained in behalf of the developers: "They couldn't have known Nintendo would drop the console in the trash can so quickly. It makes no financial sense to release the game for a dead console."

The creators of the game consider "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" as the spiritual successor to the "Castlevania" franchise. The game came to light after Igarashi (also commonly referred to as "IGA") left Konami.

Encouraged by fans to follow through the "Castlevania" series, Igarashi opened a Kickstarter campaign where gamers can back the title's development by donating money to the independent game producers.

Since then, more than 64,000 individuals backed the development of "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night," making it possible for the campaign to raise more than $5.5 million as of writing. The current fund that "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" has garnered is way more than the $500,000 initial goal for the game.

From the same campaign page, "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night" is also being described as an exploration-focused, side-scrolling game. It was initially slated to release on Wii U and other platforms such as PC, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and Xbox One.