Following the recent leak of an official Overwatch case for the Nintendo Switch, the obvious question comes to mind: Will World of Warcraft: Classic also be making its way onto the portable console? Years ago, the idea would have been met with ridicule, now however recent developments in the lineup for the Switch make it seems like this would be far more possible than once thought.
There are numerous points to consider here, but all of them support the general idea that such a port could be feasible and would be a welcome addition to the Switch. First, we can consider the recent titles that have been announced for the console.
Big Games On A Little Device
When the Switch first released, it is fair to say that most people were shocked to see that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was a launch title, and that it performed quite well on the small console. Since then, we have been pleasantly surprised with Diablo 3, DOOM, and soon, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Developers have worked diligently and shown us that the little console can still handle some of the biggest games that years ago one would not have considered as possible additions to lineup.
By comparison, World of Warcraft: Classic is far less graphic intensive than any of these other titles, and the current PC installation size remains under five gigabytes of data, which is tiny for a Nintendo Switch game and its default storage or with an SD card. Note by comparison that Mortal Kombat 11 had a day one patch of roughly eleven gigabytes of data even with its physical cartridge.
Another Recent MMO Has Paved The Way
DC Universe Online was released onto the Switch only recently and handles perfectly well on the Switch. It too is an older game, this time from 2011, and the console is more than able to handle the demands of the game. If an MMO from eight years ago can run so well on the Nintendo Switch, how hard can it be to run a fifteen-year-old game? It is not as though anyone playing World of Warcraft: Classic is doing it for the impressive visuals.
Controls
Some may dislike the idea of playing an MMORPG with console controllers, but others in the genre like Final Fantasy XIV have been a smash hit on the PlayStation 4, where control over a character is fluid once a player spends some time with the hardware. If anything, World of Warcraft: Classic is at an ideal spot in terms of abilities that would need to be assigned buttons on the Nintendo Switch, as future expansions gave way to bloat and eventually requires spells and abilities to be removed and reworked.
In addition, the rise of the mobile MMORPG has shown that even the most basic of controls can work in certain types of games. Not that many of the mobile genre are worth playing, but the point stands that there is clearly a demand for such a product.
What About Raiding?
The largest challenge that comes to mind is organizing large, end game raid progression. In truth, it would probably be difficult to coordinate, but not impossible. However, the majority of the content in World of Warcraft: Classic is based upon leveling your character, which is no quick task, farming for materials, and more. Raiding is but one component reserved not for the majority, but a minority. A Nintendo Switch version of the game would be a great way to play in small bursts with a focus on the majority of the game's content.
For now, this is all pure speculation, but considering how much more effort it is probably taking to port Overwatch onto the Switch, it is a conversation worth having.