Nintendo Switch 2's underwhelming opening lineup had former president Reggie Fils-Aimé stumped: "I scratched my head a bit"
But he admits he "underestimated" the "compelling" enhanced Switch 1 content
The Switch 2 may have had a stellar launch for Nintendo, but former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé admits that the new console's 2025 games lineup initially left him a little confused.
Speaking in a new interview with The Game Business, Fils-Aimé discusses his thoughts on the Switch 2's first year of games, noting: "From a business perspective, when I first saw that line-up, I scratched my head a little bit."
It's certainly not that the Switch 2 has been without games this year, but a number of them – like Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 – aren't exclusive to the current-gen console, also appearing on the Switch 1. As far as exclusives go, we've had Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza as the main players so far (sorry, who could forget Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour?!), but arguably slightly more niche choices filling the rest of the year like Kirby Air Riders and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
Not only that, but the lineup has also been padded out with Switch 2 Editions of games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild, which add improvements and sometimes extra content on top of the OG Switch releases, but aren't exactly all-new offerings.
But, while the slate might not be quite as packed with massive names like we saw with the OG Switch, which had Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, and Xenoblade 2 in addition to Breath of the Wild (admittedly a cross-gen release itself) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (an enhanced Wii U port), Fils-Aimé hasn't been unimpressed.
"Certainly, what I underestimated was the enhanced Nintendo Switch 1 content, which I think has been compelling," he explains. "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."
Again, the lineup has clearly not been detrimental – it was revealed this month that the Switch 2 has passed 10 million sales in just four months.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.


