Hopefully a fix that brings it inline with Sony and Microsoft is soon
Losing save data for a massive game just sucks. I remember back in the day having batteries die out on Game Boy and SNES cartridges, dealing with corrupted PlayStation memory cards, and so on. Data management as a whole is just a pain in the ass, and Nintendo isn’t making it any easier on the Switch.
For those who aren’t aware, the Switch is a bit obtuse when it comes to save data. While Microsoft and Sony have cloud save technologies, or easy ways to backup your data physically, the Switch does not. Speaking to Mashable, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime claims that Nintendo is “aware of the concern,” and that they’re looking at a solution:
You’re talking to someone who has completed 120 Shrines, and I think I’m at 400 Korok seeds and growing [in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]. So I understand what it’s like putting a lot of time into content, and the thought of that content not being there.
We’re aware of the concern. Certainly, Nintendo is a consumer-oriented company [and] we want to make our consumers happy. We’re aware of the concern and it’s an area we’re going to continue working on to make sure that we can alleviate some of those consumer fears of having a content-based issue.
Because of the type of platform we have — it’s something that is on the go as well as connected in the home environment — there are some added complications. It’s not as simple as a piece of hardware that never moves and is always connected in an online environment.
I mean, it’s not a fix right now and the “complications” excuse is pretty bad since cross-save works just fine on the PS4 and Vita (which is a piece of hardware that moves) and the PC and Xbox One, but it’s something.
For 8 months running, Nintendo Switch users have had to worry about losing everything [Mashable]
