Even former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime was surprised by the somewhat sparse launch lineup of the Nintendo Switch 2.
“I wouldn’t be completely honest if [I didn’t say] from a business perspective, when I first saw that lineup, I scratched my head a little bit,” said Fils-Aime–who served as Nintendo of America’s president and chief operating officer from 2006 until he retired in 2019–during an interview with The Game Business. “But I think certainly what I underestimated was the enhanced performance, the enhanced Nintendo Switch 1 content, 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 Bananza was a key driver for them.”
When the original Switch launched in 2017, it was accompanied by The Legend of Zelda: Breathe of the Wild and joined later in the year by Super Mario Odyssey. Switch 2’s big launch title was Mario Kart World in June 2025, followed by Donkey Kong Bananza a month later. But while many didn’t consider those games to be system sellers, they were both hits with players and critics alike.
