In case you somehow missed it, Nintendo has officially lifted the lid on Switch 2, cueing all sorts of excitement and apprehension from those of us who have been loyally playing our Switch 1s for the past eight years.
It's an exciting time to be a player, but how does it feel from a developer's standpoint? Is the Switch 2 everything they could have hoped for, or are there any anxieties that come with the uncertainty of a new console launch?
We spoke to a handful of developers and publishers from across the industry to hear their gut reaction to the console and their plans for the future. Here's who we spoke to:
- Adam Tierney, James Montagna, Matt Bozon - WayForward (Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, Yars Rising, Shantae)
- Andy Pearson - PQube (Potion Permit, Gal Guardians: Demon Purge)
- Gavin Price - Playtonic (Yooka-Laylee, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair)
- Harris Foster - Big Fan Games
- Manfred Linzner - Shin'en (Fast RMX, Nano Assault, Fast Fusion)
- Sophie Smart - No More Robots (Let's Build A Zoo, Fashion Police Squad)
- Tomm Hulett - WayForward (Contra 4, Contra: Operation Galuga)
- ??? - Another dev wished to remain anonymous "for fear of being on a flagged list" — their responses are marked below as Anon.
Note. Not everyone answered every question, and we've edited some responses that cover the same ground.
What did you make of the Switch 2 reveal, and which feature excited you the most?
Harris Foster (Big Fan Games): Nintendo’s hardware reveals are special because you can always count on seeing a stand-out idea that breaks console expectations and gets your imagination flowing. The Switch 2’s mouse capabilities in the new Joy-Con controllers is particularly interesting to me — as someone who plays the occasional mouse-controlled game from the couch, I’m excited to see how Nintendo’s approach can improve this experience.
Matt Bozon (WayForward): I really enjoy playing with my current Switch in handheld mode, so it’s exciting to have a larger screen and more power for gaming on the go. I always look forward to playing Nintendo’s newest generation of games; they never fail to be fun and inspiring!
Manfred Linzner (Shin'en): We were super happy to see the first-party titles like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Metroid Prime 4. Great quality and fresh ideas from Nintendo, as expected.
Sophie Smart (No More Robots): I really enjoyed watching it! It felt the appropriate length for such an anticipated announcement and was jam-packed with explanations of the console itself, how things will work now with games between Switch and Switch 2, and new and existing titles! However, I do feel that Nintendo played it safe and stuck with the winning formula of the Switch, whereas we are used to Nintendo completely reinventing itself between generations.
The main feature which I feel is most ‘Nintendo’ and out there is the Joy-Con turning into mice to control parts of games. Since we have Hypnospace Outlaw, a '90s internet simulator, in our game catalogue at No More Robots, it makes me excited to see whether we can organise a port to utilise the technology to feel like you are actually browsing the web!
Adam Tierney (WayForward): I’m excited about the multiplayer features to better connect players to one another online. Being able to see each other’s screens in games, chat with each other, and even see video of each other could all be very interesting going forward, from a developer perspective.
Gavin Price (Playtonic): I loved it. I’ve got my pre-order in, let’s put it that way (and I’ve not been a day-one purchaser of any console for a few generations)! I’m interested in the 120Hz refresh rate and how that can enable more options for players to enjoy games their way.
Anon: As a consumer, I’m excited as [it] seems like games that would have skipped the Switch are coming, but I also own a Steam deck and would probably purchase there cheaper. I just want awesome exclusives. As a game designer, the dual mouse control has me most excited. [It] should open up some interesting new ways to play and even a few games we’ve developed that don’t work for controller but would be perfect for mouse.
James Montagna (WayForward): The Switch 2 showcase was fantastic! From both a developer and gamer perspective, seeing the innovations Nintendo brought to the table genuinely fired me up. Knowing some of the talented Nintendo engineers personally and seeing the passion they put into their craft made the reveal feel even more special. It’s always inspiring watching Nintendo shape the future of gaming like only they can. For me, the enhanced HD Rumble 2 stood out the most. I'm already picturing how incredible it'll feel to dual-wield Joy-Con in mouse mode, experiencing subtle ticking, buzzing, pulsing, and sensations I can't even fully describe yet. That next-level immersion is exactly the kind of thing that excites me as a game creator.
Andy Pearson (PQube): We're particularly enthusiastic about the more powerful processing capabilities, which means players can experience titles much closer to (or exactly as) their developers originally intended them to be played.
Tomm Hulett (WayForward): Well, I'm a huge Bloodborne fan, so…. But besides Duskbloods, I was actually really happy to hear about the 'S2 Enhanced' edition games and to see how much content was being added to Nintendo's titles and potentially third parties as well. It's a really cool way to refresh older games and urge a replay.
Are there any unanswered questions you still have, or specific features you’d like to see added to the console?
Harris Foster: With digital libraries becoming the norm on consoles, we’ve grown accustomed to our collection carrying forward — this will be my first time going through the process on a Nintendo platform, so I'm most curious about how it'll handle this. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all amassed a large digital library of original Switch titles, so I’m keen to see how easy it will be to carry games and saves from Switch to Switch 2.
I am curious if it's technically possible to use that functionality for certain games that require two screens
Tomm Hulett: Since you can use the original Switch as a controller/share supported multiplayer games to Switch… I am curious if it's technically possible to use that functionality for certain games that require two screens. Maybe for consoles that aren't on NSO yet. Though I might just be craving the gamer cred of completing Contra 4 on such an unusual setup. But hey, maybe you could play Hotel Dusk while lying sideways in bed!
Gavin Price: I think it’s clear to see what Nintendo believes should be standard for enjoying Nintendo Switch 2 experiences. I can only imagine how it might be thinking of how to make a game about chatting with other players! I kind of hoped for an interactive LED/second screen-fronted dock, but I can appreciate this would cause a disparity with how games can be enjoyed in docked mode uniquely vs handheld modes.
Andy Pearson: While the hardware announcements have been impressive, we're eager to learn more about improvements to the digital storefront and whether Nintendo has plans to enhance discoverability features. As the eShop catalogue continues to grow, better navigation tools and recommendation systems would greatly benefit both players and developers. We're also curious about potential new social features and online capabilities and how they can be utilised in future games.
