Game Awards Nominated Soccer Title Headed to Nintendo Switch

First-person indie adventure game Despelote has just announced that it’s coming to Nintendo Switch on December 11 for those located in America. On top of its Nintendo Switch release, Despelote is also set to make an appearance at The Game Awards on December 11, where it’s nominated in two separate categories.

Released in May of this year, Despelote is an autobiographical adventure game that sees players take on the role of an 8-year-old Julián Cordero, one of the game’s two developers. As a young Cordero, players kick their physics-based soccer ball through the bustling streets of early 2000s Quito, Ecuador, meeting a variety of lively inhabitants along the way. Despelote has been a hit with critics and players alike, with it sitting at a ‘Very Positive’ rating on Steam and earning a Top Critic Average on OpenCritic of 85.

Game Awards Nominee Despelote Comes to Nintendo Switch on December 11

Announced via a new trailer on publisher Panic’s YouTube channel, Despelote is officially heading to the Nintendo Switch eShop on December 11 in the Americas, December 18 in Japan, and January 13, 2026 for “everywhere else,” presumably referring to European regions.

Titled “DESPELOTE: FIFTH TRAILER (now on nintendo switch),” this announcement is unlike most platform reveal trailers. Over the course of four and a half minutes, the trailer’s narrator (Gabe Cuzzillo, director of 2019’s Ape Out) delivers some context behind Despelote‘s creation and its content, as well as a surprisingly candid overview of the game’s commercial impact, or lack thereof. The narrator also mentions the struggles Despelote‘s developers have had bringing the game to Nintendo Switch due to the Unity engine’s limitations, but that the game is now “running smoothly” on Switch and “works great” on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Despelote may not have been a commercial success (yet), but its quality has been recognized by several major gaming award events. During the 2025 Independent Games Festival, Despelote was nominated for a total of four awards and walked home with one, the Excellence in Audio award. At the Golden Joystick Awards last month, Despelote was nominated for Best Indie Game. This week, Despelote is in the running for The Game Awards 2025’s Best Debut Indie Game and Games for Impact categories.

In the Games for Impact Game Awards 2025 category, Despelote is going up against Consume Me, South of Midnight, Wanderstop, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. In the Best Debut Indie Game category, Despelote is facing off against Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Dispatch. The Vampire Survivors-like Megabonk was originally nominated in this category as well, but its developer withdrew themselves from consideration as they’d released games previously under a different developer name.

Every Game Awards Nominee Available on Nintendo Switch

When Despelote releases on Nintendo Switch on December 11, it will be the 21st Game Awards nominee available on Nintendo’s handheld consoles. Here’s a list of every Game Awards nominee currently playable on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2:

• Donkey Kong Bananza – Nintendo Switch 2
• Hades 2 – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Split Fiction – Nintendo Switch 2
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Nintendo Switch 2
• EA Sports FC 26 – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Fortnite – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• No Man’s Sky – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Absolum – Nintendo Switch
• Ball x Pit – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance – Nintendo Switch
• Capcom Fighting Collection 2 – Nintendo Switch
• Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• LEGO Party! – Nintendo Switch
• LEGO Voyagers – Nintedo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Mario Kart World – Nintendo Switch 2
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Civilization 7 – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
• Two Point Museum – Nintendo Switch 2

Released

May 1, 2025

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ // Strong Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco

Engine

Unity

PC Release Date

May 1, 2025

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

May 1, 2025