Nintendo explains how it chose Switch 2’s name, considered calling it Super Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has opened up on the name for Switch 2 and revealed that it considered various other possibilities, including Super Nintendo Switch.

While Nintendo Switch 2 is straightforward, it apparently wasn’t an easy decision for the team. The company’s Kouichi Kawamoto noted that “we really struggled” to find the best name for the hardware.

Super Nintendo Switch would have used the same path as the NES to the SNES. However, Kawamoto said that it “didn’t feel right.”

Here’s the full exchange with Kawamoto as well as Takuhiro Dohta and Tetsuya Sasaki:

… we haven’t touched on the name yet… How did you land on the name “Nintendo Switch 2”?

Kawamoto: There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one.

We even considered ideas like “Super Nintendo Switch.” 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: That’s right. From the beginning of development, we wanted Switch 2 to be a system that can be enjoyed by a wide variety of players. 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: I thought the name was simple and easy to understand, since development began with the idea that Switch 2 would be a proper successor to Switch.

Dohta: We really struggled because there were so many different ideas, but in the end, after lots of back and forth, we all agreed that it should be Nintendo Switch 2 after all.

Thanks to Nintendo for today’s news. Those looking for more Nintendo Switch 2 news can visit this page.