Grasshopper Manufacture’s upcoming action-adventure Romeo Is a Dead Man may face difficulties reaching Nintendo’s new console, as Unreal Engine 5 continues to present technical challenges for potential Switch 2 ports.
Former Nintendo staff member Kit Ellis shared on Twitter/X that he had spoken with studio founder Goichi Suda (Suda51) during Gamescom. According to Ellis, Suda expressed uncertainty about whether the development team could adapt the game to Nintendo’s hardware. “We met with Suda51 at Gamescom to see his new game Romeo is a Dead Man and he told us he’s not sure the team can bring the game to Switch 2 due to challenges with Unreal Engine 5. I really hope these technical issues can be figured out – the game looks incredible,” Ellis wrote.
The concern highlights a broader issue that has emerged around Unreal Engine 5 titles and their optimization for less powerful systems. While the Switch 2 offers a notable upgrade from its predecessor, questions remain about how well it will handle cutting-edge engines built with higher-end platforms in mind.
Earlier this month, Grasshopper Manufacture launched the official Steam page for Romeo Is a Dead Man, marking the studio’s first original IP in several years. The game follows Romeo Stargazer, a man caught between life and death who is revived through futuristic technology and recruited into the FBI’s Space-Time Police. As a cosmic crisis unravels, Romeo dons the mysterious Deadgear mask to battle interdimensional criminals while searching for his missing partner Juliet, whose disappearance appears tied to the collapse of space-time.
Gameplay focuses on visceral third-person combat, blending swords and firearms with the ability to absorb enemy blood to unleash the “Bloody Summer” attack. Weapons can be upgraded and modified, while missions are spread across story-driven chapters and optional side content. Despite its ambitious scope, the PC system requirements listed on Steam are relatively modest for a next-generation title.
Directed by Ren Yamazaki and co-written with Suda51, Romeo Is a Dead Man is planned for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. No release date has been announced, and a Switch 2 version remains uncertain due to the hurdles presented by Unreal Engine 5.
