Review Fix Exclusive: Inside Farming Simulator on the Nintendo Switch

Review Fix chats with Martin Rabl, GIANTS Software- Marketing & PR Manager who discusses the upcoming Farming Simulator on the Nintendo Switch and how it’s a perfect game to take advantage of the system’s couch co-op versatility.

About astragon Entertainment GmbH:

astragon Entertainment (founded in 2000) ranks among the leading independent games publishers in Germany. Our versatile product portfolio focuses on high-quality technical simulation games such as Construction Simulator, Farming Simulator or Bus Simulator, but also covers complex economic simulations and strategy games. The distribution of the Big Fish franchise (Mystery Case Files, Dark Parables, Grim Tales) completes our exciting product range. Games by astragon are available worldwide on many different platforms such as consoles, smartphones, tablets and PC. Please visit us for more information at  http://www.astragon.de/en/

Review Fix: How was the idea of this game on the Switch born?

Martin Rabl: Actually it was pretty much straight after the Nintendo Switch was revealed. The relaxing gameplay of Farming Simulator works as well on the couch as on the go.

The console’s hardware makes sure that you can now have the same full farming experience at home, in a park, on a bus or wherever else you are.

Review Fix: What was development like?

Rabl: It was pretty smooth to be honest. We needed to see how to optimize it for the Nintendo Switch, and things like using the touch screen to navigate on the map or in the settings were added, but all in all it went pretty well.

Review Fix: What makes this game special, on this console?

Rabl: It is the very first Farming Simulator that offers you the same game experience whether it is being played on a TV or in handheld mode. Someone else needs the TV? Just take the Switch and continue playing the game on the console’s screen. You really want to finish feeding your cows today but your commute home was faster than usual? Plug it into the big screen in your living room and you are right back in action.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Rabl: We’ve received some pretty excited but also detailed feedback from in-house testers after they tried out the game in handheld mode especially pertaining to the locations they’ve played it at. I leave the rest up to your imagination. ;)

Review Fix: How does this game disrupt the Switch landscape?

Rabl: There aren’t so many third party games on the Switch yet and Farming Simulator is already very popular in both, desktop and mobile gaming circles. The fact that you can now play the game both on the go and on your big screen at home means that the Switch version is like a 2 in 1 deal potentially addressing an even larger community of players.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Rabl: We’ve got a very large audience of players. Kids, families, casual players, farmers but also hardcore gamers. Players who are looking for a game that gives them a lot of freedom, lets them decide their own career path and progression speed love the sandbox nature of the Farming Simulator series. Real-life farmers are also a huge part of our community. They find their favorite vehicles and tools in the game and enjoy the authentic representation of the farming tasks and machines.

Review Fix: How do you want this game to be remembered?

Rabl: We think it can really be one of those games where people will appreciate the versatility of the Nintendo Switch. While you can play it just for a few minutes, it is still an ongoing game and you can pick up again where you left off in an instant no matter where you are. Of course we wouldn’t mind if people would remember the game as one of the first games they truly played on a TV as well as on a mobile platform.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the game?

Rabl: If the players are happy with the game and the farming community appreciates how their profession is represented by it, we’ve already reached our most important goals. If we can interest more people in what farming is all about, then even better. A lot of our developers also have a farming background so there is a lot of passion involved.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Rabl: After gamescom we will focus on the launch of the Nintendo Switch Edition and the Platinum Edition later this year. We’ve got a lot planned for the future of the series but I can’t share any details yet, so definitely stay tuned.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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