Nintendo has officially locked in a launch date for the Nintendo Switch 2, its successor to the extremely popular Nintendo Switch. That name, though, could have been a little bit different, if not for a piece of Nintendo’s past.
In a new Q+A published today alongside the Switch 2 Direct, Nintendo conducted an interview with three of the developers behind the making of the Switch 2 hardware. From the Entertainment Planning & Development Department there was producer Kouichi Kawamoto and senior director Takuhiro Dohta, as well as Technology Development division GM Tetsuya Sasaki.
When asked how the team landed on the name Nintendo Switch 2, the developers said there were a “lot of ideas” for the name of the console, and they struggled to find the right one.
“We even considered ideas like Super Nintendo Switch,” Kawamoto said. “However, Super NES, which came out after the NES, couldn’t play NES games. Since Switch 2 can play Switch games, it didn’t feel right to use the same naming convention as Super NES. Switch 2 is a new system with improved performance, but we’d like players who get their hands on it not to focus on the specs, but rather to think of it as the latest system developed by Nintendo.
“So, in the hope that it becomes the new standard for Nintendo Switch, we named it Nintendo Switch 2.”
Dohta continued, talking about the team’s goals for the system.
“From the beginning of development, we wanted Switch 2 to be a system that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of players,” Dohta said.
“This hasn’t changed from Switch to Switch 2. I also wanted to create an experience that as many players as possible could enjoy, rather than an experience made specially for those who prefer high-performance hardware. So, we wanted a name that would communicate simply to potential customers that, if you’re considering buying a Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 is the newest system.”
Sasaki said the name was simple and easy to understand, since “development began with the idea that Switch 2 would be a proper successor to Switch.” So after a lot of struggle and deliberation, the team arrived on Nintendo Switch 2.
While the name is not necessarily surprising, it’s interesting to see how Nintendo looked back on its own history and what the “Super” prefix wound up representing, versus a “2.” The Nintendo Switch 2 does carry forward a great deal of the Nintendo Switch, from its games and services to a similar form factor. Switch 2 does seem like the suitable name, even if Super Switch is a fun bit of alliteration.
There was a lot of Nintendo Switch 2 news today, from the launch date and ultimate price reveal of the new console to a host of games arriving at or after its debut. For all the news and headlines, be sure to check out our recap of everything announced at the Switch 2 Direct here.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
