Creator Dan Fornace has confirmed that his indie Smash Bros.-style brawler, Rivals of Aether, will be released on the Nintendo Switch. Rivals of Aether originally came out in 2015 for Windows and Xbox One and found a dedicated audience for its pixel art style and unique twist on the classic Smash formula.
A Switch version of Rivals of Aether was first discussed back in January, when Fornace explained in a lengthy about the game's development and goings-on in the competitive Rivals of Aether scene that a Switch port was being prioritized as first among a few potential platforms. Rivals of Aether was created in Game Maker Studio, which cannot export games to the Switch on its own, requiring Fornace to work with team capable ❀of developinജg a brand new port, which is understandably a lengthy process.
Super Smash Con, an event earlier this month centered around tournaments for every single Smash Bros. game, also hosted a competitive Rivals of Aether tournament, in which a number of Smash players competed. It was at Super Smash Con that the first sign of a Switch port was spotted, on a banner attached to the con's Rivals of Aether booth, which featured a Switch logo between Steam and Xbox icons. Fo♏rnace tweeteꦉd the image himself as a preview of the official confirmation to come.
Later on, Super Smash Con aired a video message from Fornace confirming the Switch version of the game. The video announcement a number of multiplayer updates coming to the game, including support for four players online💯, allowing for both 2v2 and free for all battles, as well as the addition of spectator slots to both two and four player matches.
This comes on the heels of a recent of Steam Workshop support for Rivals of Aether, allowing players to create their own custom ch𓆉aracters on the Windows version of the game to supplement the existing 1🌳4 character roster. No further details are known about the Switch port, so keep an eye out for an official release date down the line.