Nintendo Just Failed The Switch 2 Spectacularly

It feels like Nintendo is failing the Nintendo Switch 2. Its muted initial reveal, admittedly spoiled by outside parties, did little to inspire hope in many, myself included, that the shiny new console from Nintendo was indeed worth the money, let alone a worthy successor to the original Switch. Its lack of launch titles further compounded the issue, only to be then worsened by Mario Kart World’s strong, yet unsatisfactorily low review scores.

If it weren’t for the miraculous Donkey Kong Bananza, I’d be ready to write the console off completely. Of course, the Switch 2 is still performing extremely well, despite its many issues; yet, I can’t help but feel that this will ultimately come back to bite Nintendo in the long run. It could have saved face somewhat, especially with the recent Nintendo Direct. Instead, it chose to fail its flagship console all over again, leaving fans and prospective buyers in a precarious position.

The Recent Nintendo Direct Was Disappointing

It Was All Predictable Third-Party Releases

The recent July 2025 Nintendo Direct was a chance for Nintendo to finally right some wrongs and get people excited about the Switch 2. It did, in some respects, pull this off, as there were several big Switch 2 reveals that have people excited, myself included. Monster Hunter Stories 3 looks interesting, even if we didn’t see any actual gameplay and have to wait until 2026. Similarly, Square Enix’s numerous efforts will surely be novel experiences for JRPG fans.

However, much of the Direct was dominated by predictable third-party releases, the kind one expects to come to the Switch eventually. EA Sports FC 26 and Madden NFL 26 took up a large chunk of real estate. We’re getting ports of Apex Legends and Star Wars Outlaws, as well as a new Just Dance game. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment even popped up, a game that feels as if it got a slot in the presentation based purely on a technicality – it is being developed by Koei Tecmo, and therefore considered a third-party release.

That’s not to say that none of these games should be on the Switch 2, nor that there aren’t people excited about them. However, many of the ports have been playable on other consoles for years, and the newer games feel like expected entries, rather than games that’ll hit the most-anticipated Switch 2 games list. It is admittedly hard to get excited about a new EA Sports or Just Dance game, and they don’t feel like system sellers, much like how they weren’t for the Switch either.

Nintendo Needs To Sell The Switch 2 Better

We Need More Reasons To Buy One

In essence, then, the very first Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase revealed a lot of games we could have very easily guessed were coming to the Switch 2 eventually. They’re the kind of games you leave out of a predictions list because everyone and their dog is expecting them. That’s extremely disappointing, especially considering Nintendo had a chance to reveal something novel and exciting, something actually worth getting a Switch 2 for.

Of course, there will be people whose first-ever console is a Switch 2, or who have only ever owned a Switch. For them, the likes of Yakuza Kiwami 2 or Star Wars Outlaws will be exciting offerings, as they were previously unplayable. Additionally, the Switch 2’s ridiculous sales also indicate that perhaps people don’t need as much convincing as I believe.

However, for the vast majority of people, these reveals won’t be particularly noteworthy as they’re neither new nor is there the novelty of playing them on a handheld, as handheld PCs have made that possible for years. I believe this is also why the general sentiment towards Nintendo Directs has increasingly veered towards the negative, with more and more people expecting novelty rather than banal ports of games they’ve likely already played.

Back in 2020, in a now-unavailable post on X (as reported by GameDaily.biz), Mat Piscatella, the executive director of games at analyst firm NPD Group, reported that “more than two-thirds of US Switch owners own at least one other current-gen console.” This is backed up by other sources, including gamesindustry.biz, which discovered that in 2020 60% of Switch owners in the UK also owned a PS4. Those numbers will have surely increased over the past five years.

There are plenty of impressive third-party Switch 2 games that could have gotten people excited, or even developers who could have created something exclusively for the console, much like the original Octopath Traveler or Monster Hunter Rise. Instead, there is nothing that you need a Nintendo Switch 2 for. As a result, the Direct, the first since the Switch 2 launched – excluding game-specific ones – gave us no more reasons to buy the already inessential console.

We Need A Switch 2-Focused Direct Soon

Nintendo Needs To Drop The Original Switch For A Moment

What the Nintendo Switch 2 needs more than ever are exclusives. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A don’t count, as they’re available on the original Switch. If Nintendo wants to convince more people than the early adopters terrified of FOMO to buy its expensive hardware, it needs to give them games that only it can run.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s exclusive third-party releases like 2026’s Duskbloods or exciting first-party Switch 2 games, so long as there’s a tangible reason to get a Switch 2 over sticking with your existing Switch. I find it hard to believe that Nintendo didn’t have something more planned for 2025 than Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. Both are great games, but they’re not enough to sustain a console for more than half a year.

Nintendo can save the Switch 2 by delivering a Direct focused exclusively on it and all the games it’ll be receiving over the next year or so, on the condition that there actually are some, of course. It shouldn’t showcase the games we already know are likely to release on the platform, or even give release dates for upcoming third-party games like Elden Ring.

Instead, it should cover brand-new exclusives, games that make spending $449 feel a little less daunting. Nintendo must have more up its sleeve, more exciting games beyond the fun, yet ultimately forgettable Drag x Drive and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. It must have a bigger catalog, even of smaller games, that can capture the interest of potential buyers. I know the Switch 2 can be an amazing platform, but Nintendo needs to give it the games to make that a reality, and so far, it’s failing spectacularly on that front.

Source: GameDaily.biz, gamesindustry.biz