Zen Studios ditches plans to patch Pinball FX3 Nintendo Switch performance
UPDATE: Developer U-turns, promises patch by summer.
UPDATE 14/3/18: Pinball FX3 will get its big update for Nintendo Switch, developer Zen Studios has announced - just a week on from saying it did not have the "bandwidth" to do so.
The startling but welcome U-turn means the game will get 60FPS in handheld mode and 1080p support in docked mode for all tables in the game's library via an update scheduled for this summer.
In a statement explaining its decision, Zen Studios said it prided itself as being a company which listened to its fans - who it now hoped would notice its fresh commitment:
"As longtime followers of Zen well know, we have been one of the most community-friendly game developers for over a decade," Zen Studios exec Mel Kirk said. "We have focused on long-term relationships with players and have provided extra value, whether it was a brand-new pinball platform for free, free content imports or free DLC. We have always chosen to put players first.
"I hope you all can take this commitment to improving an already great game as a sign that Zen Studios truly values the players that support us, and we will continue to support you for the long term."
ORIGINAL STORY 7/3/18: The Nintendo Switch version of Pinball FX3 received a mixed response when it launched last December, when fans criticised the game's resolution and framerate.
Some said the game's various tables actually looked worse on Switch than they did on Wii U. Replying to one Pinball FX3 owner, developer Zen Studios admitted it "looks terrible".
A fix for the game's visuals was pledged - specifically, to get the game up to 60FPS while playing on the Switch's handheld mode and for 1080p support while docked.
But today, in a reddit thread created after one fan heard the patch was cancelled from a customer support request, Zen Studios publicly admitted the patch was no longer in the works.
"Hey guys, we might have been premature in the excitement surrounding the Switch release," Zen Studios spokesperson "McLovin" explained to the game's patiently-waiting fans. "We really think this is one of the best platforms to play the game, and wanted to make it to everyone's liking.
"We have sat on this problem contemplating it for a long time, trying to find a good way to up the frames per your request. We found that there was no 'universal' method to do this and each table would require a lot of separate work. This volumen [sic] we simply don't have the bandwith for in the graphics and the QA department right now."
"We really do apologize for us being a bit slow to properly address this. P.S.: Check out Son of Zeus though, we were able to better some of that tables problems in Cam 3-4."
The response has, unsurprisingly, not gone down well - with many fans questioning why it took Zen Studios to be prompted into commenting.
Like all Zen Studios pinball games you can of course download the base game for free and try it out - but long-time fans of the series downloaded many of its paid-for extra pinball tables not expecting the game's performance would be below par.