Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime on Switch 2 launch lineup: “I scratched my head a little bit”

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has commented on the launch lineup for Switch 2, which he seemed to be a bit puzzled by at first.

The Game Business‘ Christopher Dring was speaking about the initial wave of games for the console in comparison to its predecessor. On Switch, within the system’s first few months, Nintendo came out with megahits like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. We also saw a new IP in Arms, Splatoon 2 which did very well (especially in Japan), and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – one of Nintendo’s best-selling games ever.

Mario Kart World was on Nintendo Switch 2 for launch and we’ve also received Donkey Kong Bananza. Pokemon Legends: Z-A is also a standout from a sales perspective, though it’s also on Nintendo Switch 1. Ultimately one could argue that there are fewer surefire hits on the latest system.

When asked about the release slate for Nintendo Switch 2, Reggie said: “I scratched my head a little bit.” However, he “underestimated the Nintendo Switch 1 content” on the new platform and extras from Nintendo Switch Online, as well as Donkey Kong Bananza.

Reggie stated:

“From a business perspective, when I first saw that line-up, I scratched my head a little bit. Certainly, what I underestimated was the enhanced Nintendo Switch 1 content, which I think has been compelling. The stuff that you get for free as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, I think that has helped drive some of the momentum. And then certainly, [Donkey Kong] Bananza was a key driver for them.”

We recently compared the Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch lineups and offered our own thoughts on which was better. You can check that out here.