Switch 2 was almost called the Super Nintendo Switch, but Nintendo felt it “didn’t feel right” to use the same naming convention as the SNES due to Switch 2’s backwards compatibility.
In a new Ask The Developer discussion, Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto discussed how the team landed on the right name for the new console.
“There were a lot of ideas for the name, and we really struggled to find the right one,” he said. “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.”
He added: “So, in the hope that it becomes the new standard for Nintendo Switch, we named it Nintendo Switch 2.”
Does that mean we can expect a Nintendo Switch 3 in the future?
Switch 2 director Takuhiro Dohta continued: “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.”
Surmised Tetsuya Sasaki, from the Technology Development Division: “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.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Dohta also confirmed the Switch 2’s eShop will be improved.
“Thanks to the system’s performance capabilities, Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 has been improved and runs smoothly even when displaying a large number of games,” said Dohta. “We believe the act of finding the game you want to play is itself part of the game system experience.”
For more on the new console, here’s everything on Switch 2 from the Nintendo Direct, including details on launch game Mario Kart World.