Game Awards nominated football title coming to Nintendo Switch

First person indie adventure game Desperate just announced that it is coming Nintendo Switch on December 11 for those in America. In addition to its Nintendo Switch release, Desperate will also make an appearance at The Game Awards on December 11, where it is nominated in two separate categories.

Released in May this year, Desperate 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 young Cordero, players kick their physics-based football through the busy streets of early 2000s Quito, Ecuador, encountering a host of lively residents along the way. Desperate has been a hit with critics and gamers alike, holding a “Highly Positive” rating on Steam and earning a Top Critic Average on OpenCritic of 85.

Game Awards nominee Despelote is coming to Nintendo Switch on December 11th

Announced via a new trailer on publisher Panic's YouTube channel, Desperate is officially heading to the Nintendo Switch eShop on December 11th in America, December 18th in Japan, and January 13th, 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 Monkey out) gives some context behind Desperateits creation and content, as well as a surprisingly candid overview of the game's commercial impact, or lack thereof. The narrator also mentions the battles Desperates developers have had to bring the game to the Nintendo Switch due to the limitations of the Unity engine, but that the game now “runs smoothly” on the Switch and “works great” on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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

In the Games for Impact Game Awards 2025 category, Desperate goes up against Consume me, South of midnight, Wanderstopand Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. In the Best Indie Debut Game category, Desperate is opposed Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33and Dispatch. The Vampire Survivor-as Megabank was originally nominated in this category as well, but its developers withdrew from consideration because they had released games previously under a different developer name.

Every game award nominee is available on Nintendo Switch

When Desperate will be released 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 all the Game Awards nominees currently playable on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2:

Donkey Kong Banana – Nintendo Switch 2
Hades 2 – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
Hollow Knight: Silk Song – 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
Absolutely – 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 Collection – Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
LEGO party! – Nintendo Switch
LEGO Voyagers – Nintendo 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