Epic Games has made a big decision with regards to Fortnite's console cross-play pool. As of today's update for the battle royale, patch 8.10, the Nintendo Switch has been removed from matchmaking with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One Fortnite players. Instead, Nintendo Switch players will from here on be matched with the mobile cross-play pool including iOS and Android devices.

According to Epic Games, it believes that Nintendo Switch players will have an "on-average better per game experience" while placed in the mobile cross-play pool. The insinuation here is that data showed that Nintendo Switch players were not matching up with PS4 and Xbox players to a degree of competitiveness that Epic was content with. Epic clearly believes that players on Switch and mobile devices are of more similar abilities, either due to hardware comparisons or experience level.

This change may come as surprising to some. The Nintendo Switch is very much a console, even if it's not as powerful in terms of hardware compared to the PS4 and Xbox One.

Perhaps Epic found that most Fortnite players on Switch used it in its handheld mode rather than on a TV with a controller, or perhaps the Switch's hardware limitations were more significant in the online game than were otherwise apparent. Given that the Switch doesn't include an Ethernet port, Wi-Fi alone could create a competitive disadvantage for players.

From a broader perspective, there's a good chance some Nintendo Switch players won't be happy with the change. Being switched from the console pool to the mobile pool could be seen as dismissive by those who own the system.

In addition to removing the Nintendo Switch from Fortnite's console cross-play, Epic is now uniting the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 pools. Where previously both PS4 and Xbox One were matched with the Nintendo Switch and not each other, now the two are one without the Switch.

Fortnite is available now in early access on Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.