Capcom's Decision to Keep the Disney Afternoon Collection off the Nintendo Switch Is a Load of Duck Feathers

Racecars, lasers, and aeroplanes belong on the Switch as much as the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Opinion by Nadia Oxford, 03/15/2017.

Time for a hot take. No, a nuclear take. Even as a kid, I thought the cartoons featured in the Disney Afternoon were kind of boring. I only watched them if I had nothing else going on, or I'd take in the energetic theme songs and then tune out.

But even I must admit those cartoons spawned some mighty fine NES adventures. DuckTales is the king of Capcom's licensed NES legacy; it's already been upgraded to HD.

Capcom's Disney Afternoon Collection Brings Back Six NES Classics

Ducktales, Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and more return on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

I loved DuckTales on the NES, and I still do, but every ventricle of my young heart was stolen away by Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. Just listen to that Zone J music. How Mega Man can you get?

The nice thing about the upcoming Disney Afternoon Collection is we already know most of the games included on it are great. Even the contested titles, like TaleSpin [eyes Kat warily] are still at least a notch above the rest of the licensed garbo on the NES. We'll also get a chance to go hands-on with the Capcom titles that aren't as ingrained in popular culture but are still worthy of a play-through. Chip 'n Dale 2 and DuckTales 2 were originally released in 1993, just as the SNES was really coming into its own in North America, and even hardcore Disney fans had largely moved on by that point.

There's just one thing keeping me from rushing out the door and buying a skid of Capri Suns and slap bracelets in anticipation for the game's April 18 release, though. The Disney Afternoon Collection is coming to the PlayStation 4, and it's coming to the Xbox One and the PC, but there's no Nintendo Switch release in the cards.

We reached out to Capcom, and it responded: "The Disney Afternoon Collection is in development for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. No other platforms are planned at this time."

News like this makes me want to run away and join a cult dedicated to a soft drink. The Switch has generated quite a bit of positive buzz thanks to its strong debut and the stellar critical performance of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I'd think Capcom wouldn't be gun-shy about putting the collection on Nintendo's new system, but I clearly don't know very much.

This could be you, Capcom, but you playin'.

I honestly can't think of a better home for the Disney Afternoon Collection, either. Not just because the Switch will benefit from numerous game releases between now and the holidays, but because the very idea of going portable with a whack of classic NES titles is delicious. The people who grew up with The Disney Afternoon and its accompanying games are welded to portable systems and tablets thanks to commutes, etc.

The Disney Afternoon Collection isn't exactly a high-resource title; the Switch is already slated to be home to a whole bunch of sprite-based indie games. The Disney Afternoon Collection would fit right in. It's a baffling decision from Capcom, but given the barrage of questions on social media about the Switch's absence, maybe we'll see a reversal.

The collection is being handled by Digital Eclipse. The studio's "Head of Restoration," Frank Cifaldi, says Capcom makes the final call about what systems the game is published on. "We're not involved in the decision-making process for specific SKUs," he told us. "But for what it's worth, we think the Switch is great, and would be a good fit for the kinds of projects that we do."

If a Nintendo Switch edition of The Disney Afternoon Collection isn't going to happen, I'd be happy to take a Mega Man X Legacy Collection as a consolation prize.

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#1 MarioIV A year ago

It's a disgrace that this is not on Switch. We should boycott Capcom.

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#2 BlazeHedgehog A year ago

Capcom is also recently announced a new version of Resident Evil Revelations for the PS4 and Xbox One, but again, left the Switch out of that.

It's starting to smell kind of fishy.

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#3 daverhodus A year ago

I plan to wait for the eventual physical version of this collection.

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#4 PanurgeJr A year ago

There's absolutely no way a Switch version wouldn't sell enough to pay for the port, so whatever the reasoning it isn't a financially justifiable business decision, and is going to play right into third party conspiracy claims.

#5 touchofkiel A year ago

A baffling decision from Capcom, maybe, but who knows what's going on behind the scenes, i.e. their relationship with Nintendo. For all we know, it could be very deliberately snubbing the Switch. Maybe it has to do with featuring a bunch of NES games on a system that, one would think, will eventually sell an NES library via Virtual Console, and one/both parties felt there was a conflict of interest. Regardless, it's probably not as arbitrary as it seems to the average gamer.

the very idea of going portable with a whack of classic NES titles is delicious.

Very true - so much that most people who liked the idea of it probably bought and hacked a PSP more than 10 years ago for that very purpose. Not entirely suggesting that illegitimate piracy is the way to go, but there's no denying its very existence makes the notion of portable Virtual Console lose some of its novelty value.

#6 Roto13 A year ago

Such a simple, easy thing to port to Switch. (They're using the technology they used for Mega Man Legacy Collection, which was created specifically to allow easy porting to a wide variety of platforms.) How about they keep Street Fighter II Port Number 85 and release this on Switch instead.

#7 moroboshi A year ago

Not really surprising. The Switch install base is tiny, plus it doesn't even have a d-pad. These games will simply play better for most people on a PS4 or XO.

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#8 Xemus80 A year ago

Capcom will gladly take your money in April and then announce a Switch port shortly after. "Oh, you want this on the go? That'll be another 20 spot."

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#9 NateDizzy A year ago

@touchofkiel Capcom is putting SF2 on the Switch. It seems strange they wouldn't follow suit with this collection. Then again, perhaps you're right. Maybe the relationship has been soured recently and this is a business power play by Capcom.

#10 Patrick-C A year ago

@moroboshi I mean, the Switch install base is small, but to be fair it has only been out two weeks.

I'm hoping Capcom looks at the reaction today and reconsiders. Pretty much the first comment on every story or article about this game is "But what about the Switch?" To say nothing of Twitter. It's a perfect fit, so hopefully Capcom takes notice. Edited March 2017 by Patrick-C

#11 Spectreman A year ago

Did we know if was just because the small base? Or the pseudo emulator is not yet ported for Switch? Or even if Nintendo dont like the idea of what Digital Eclipse is doing.

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#12 ericspratling56 A year ago

Disappointing, but no reason to rage or despair just yet. The Mega Man Legacy collection made its way to 3DS, and a bit later than it did for consoles (or am I imagining that last part?). I'd probably bet on the collection coming to the Switch, though a bit delayed.

#13 adriansmith21 A year ago

It's most likely not on the switch so they can sell the games individually on the Virtual Console for $5 each

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#14 Roto13 A year ago

@moroboshi Not porting it to Switch because there's no dpad. Instead porting a 2D fighting game. OK.

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#15 BaltimoreJones A year ago

Couple of things puzzled me about this announcement.

One is that it didn't get more attention. This is huge. Half of us are massively nostalgic for at least Ducktales, and there's a frickin' sequel that most of us didn't even know existed. Those of us who did know were weighing whether to pay $250 for a cartridge to play it legitimately.

The second is the ridiculous outrage about it not being announced for Switch. Grow up. Everybody thought the console was a joke until 3 weeks ago, "Wii U 2". Zelda has made some people forget, but you'll remember again if they don't fix their hardware issues and if Mario is the only other great game that ever comes out for the system.

Nintendo does a crap job with the Wii U, and you want 3rd parties to just jump onto the Switch based off of numberless early hype?

#16 moroboshi A year ago

@Roto13 Which also makes no sense.

The Switch simply isn't designed for 2D games. It's the first Nintendo system ever made without 2D input.

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#17 VotesForCows A year ago

@nadiaoxford Capri suns and slap bracelets are still going strong in my daughter's school!

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#18 LBD_Nytetrayn A year ago

@moroboshi Arguable; I found the Joy-Con D-buttons find for Blaster Master Zero, and using one's analog stick for Sonic Mania worked out fine. Much to my surprise, I should add.

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#19 LBD_Nytetrayn A year ago

@ericspratling56 No, you're quite right. Xbox One, PS4, and maybe Steam got it digitally in the fall of 2015, and the physical release for Xbox One and PS4 came the following year around the same time as both physical and digital 3DS versions.

#20 LBD_Nytetrayn A year ago

@adriansmith21 Hard to say. While that would have covered Mega Man Legacy Collection not appearing on Wii U, it was on 3DS, which also had the VC releases.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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#21 Neifirst A year ago

@Xemus80 There's the explanation. Capcom knows people will double dip when it's made available for home consoles now, and then made for portable gaming in the summer time. This isn't too hard to figure out.

#22 Okada-The-Cat A year ago

Aww dang it. Playing this on the Pro Controller with it's big fat buttons would've felt great! Bummer.

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#23 MetManMas A year ago

Maybe Capcom's just a tad miffed that they might have to actually make Monster Hunter look modern on the Nintendo Switch instead of staying in their (undoubtedly cheaper to produce) PS2-esque safe zone.

But seriously though I can understand if Capcom's a li'l gun shy about releasing multiplatform games on Nintendo platforms, especially ones that just came out. They got burned on Wii, they got burned on Wii U. And I bet Resident Evil Revelations sold a lot better once it hit non-Nintendo platforms. And testing the Switch waters with a modified version of a years-old HD remaster of a decades-old arcade fighter doesn't scream "confidence."

It's still a shame this collection hasn't been announced for it, though.

#24 joelogan09 A year ago

I would normally share in your outrage, especially since Nintendo is the original console of release for these games, however in this specific instance, I do not own a Switch, and won't be able to get my hands on one until the next batch is released, but I do own a PS4, so I am thrilled! I have been waiting for over 25 years to play Chip & Dale again. I logged onto Nintedo.com every month to see if they would release it for the Wii, and they never did. Super Excited about this!

#25 fernandoporphirio38 A year ago

WHAT???? But this was originally NES Games!!!
Makes NO SENSE!!!!

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#26 davidpeka67 A year ago

@moroboshi >plus it doesn't even have a d-pad.

What the f are you talking about? Of course the Switch has a dpad.

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#27 SargeSmash A year ago

@davidpeka67 : No, it really doesn't. It's got buttons that can be used as a d-pad, but it doesn't have a traditional d-pad. After playing through Blaster Master Zero using a combination of the buttons and the analog stick depending on the situation, neither is really ideal for NES-style games. It's too easy to hit more than two buttons, and it also doesn't let me do my ideal thumb-rocking position like a traditional d-pad does (front of thumb for right, middle of thumb for left).

It's still a fantastic system. I'd totally buy a left Joy-Con with a real d-pad, though.

#28 drich255 A year ago

They would look really good on the Switch, but the 3DS currently has the larger user base. I would do 3DS version now and the Switch port down the road.

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#29 fstim82 A year ago

I kept passing over all the article headlines about this collection, but now that I realize what it is... damn. I'd throw down for a Switch version in a hot minute. WTF Capcom? Where's that Jackie Chan jpg...?

Also... that J zone music is one of the best game tracks EVAR.Edited March 2017 by fstim82

#30 swamped A year ago

Too bad they didn't throw in their 2 decent SNES games as well.

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#31 vincentgoodwin88 A year ago

So many people were mad on Twitter at Capcom.

Pro-tip for anyone wanting someone to do something: Don't lead with telling them they're stupid. Rarely do people change behavior because of people being angry at them.

Especially in this case. I thought these games were lost to time. Especially Darkwing Duck. I thought there was no way anyone would ever get these games again except through piracy. So somebody at Disney and Capcom deserve a medal for cutting through all the licenses and getting these games out again.

Would I prefer it on Switch? Yeah, it seems like a more natural fit given the games' history and Nintendo playerbase, plus I prefer playing games portably. But if it doesn't happen, I'll find a way to play it.

Also, what I find especially funny is if there was a Switch port, people would be mad at the price and claim them can get all these games on a ROM site for free (even though $20 is more than fair). Capcom can't win for losing.

#32 qwilman A year ago

I'm not a guy inside the industry but it honestly feels like a situation where Capcom wasn't expecting the Switch to catch fire the way it did and didn't plan accordingly. For whatever arcane corporate-insider reason, they can't reverse the decision easily, and whenever it's time for the next batch of decisions to be made it'll be much more obvious that this is a good move.

#33 metal_maniac A year ago

I'll vote with my wallet and not buy it unless it's on the Switch.

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#34 loganmorrow33 A year ago

You know something? I think Capcom is starting to become a bunch of dickheads towards Nintendo because of the Switch. Even though I got the Disney Afternoon Collection on Steam, it still pains me that there is no Switch release. If Capcom releases a Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, and leaves the Switch or 3DS out, We should just tell Nintendo to resort to one drastic measure: "Buying Mega Man from Capcom, or throw a bunch of Switch devkits towards Capcom's faces, and say to them: 'Stop being dickheads towards us!'" I know I would if I was working for Nintendo or Capcom.