LEGO CITY Undercover download causes Nintendo Switch controversy

Updated: Warner Bros. has confirmed no download will be required to play the game, it will be on the cartridge in full.

When LEGO CITY Undercover originally debuted in 2013, much to the frustration of PlayStation and XBOX fans, it was only released on the Wii U. With its remastered release though, it may be Nintendo fans who are rather short changed as the download data will require half of the Switch console’s hard drive space.

Nintendo Everything reported the news after noticing that the new, updated version of the game initially seemed to be smaller in data terms than the original:

We reported yesterday that LEGO City Undercover on Switch is 7.1GB. That may have seemed strange given how the original Wii U version is 19GB. What we’ve learned today may clarify the situation. The initial download could be about 7.1GB, with another 13GB required for extra data – bringing it about 20GB, which is closer to the Wii U edition.

Also, we don’t want to make too much of this yet as we’re not entirely sure what it means, but the front of the packaging says an internet connection is required. It’s highly unlikely that LEGO City Undercover will require a constant connection. A more probable explanation is that the one time extra download is needed before you can play, or is necessary for certain features. LEGO City Undercover arrives on Switch next week, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long for specifics.

The 13GB download will use half of the console’s 26GB hard drive, but additional space can be accessed using SD cards. Gamers are concerned that the low capacity cartridges will lead to more releases needing significant additional download data.

LEGO City Undercover is released on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and XBOX One on April 7, available for pre-order now.