Civilization VI devs explain why the Switch version lacks online multiplayer, hotseat mode being added

Civilization VI is getting some love on Switch with both PC expansion packs coming to the platform, but unfortunately, online play still won't be part of the experience. A representative from the dev team took to Twitter to explain why doing online play for Switch isn't feasible.

“It sounds basic, until you realize that both private and public games required significant back end work. Civ VI on desktop utilizes Steam for things like friends lists (required for private games) and server listing (required for public games). Implementing these things per unique system takes considerable effort. I’m aware the Switch has some of those systems, but it’s still requires custom implementation. The Mac App Store version and iOS version do not have online multiplayer for similar reasons.”

While that's a punch in the gut, there is something that local friends can look forward to. A future update will add in a hotseat multiplayer mode, which will let players take turns on the same system, instead of requiring local players to need two Switch units/copies of the game.