Nintendo reportedly had an unannounced 1-2 Switch sequel that "tested horribly"

(Image credit: Nintendo)

An unannounced sequel to the Nintendo Switch launch game 1-2-Switch is reportedly in some state of development, but it "tested horribly" and might not ever launch.

If you don't remember 1-2-Switch, that's probably because you were busy playing that other Switch launch game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. 1-2-Switch is a co-op party game that launched to lukewarm reviews but nonetheless sold about 3.5 million copies, making it a commercial success for Nintendo.

A new report from Fanbyte claims a sequel had been in the works at one point with a few bizarre features that only Nintendo could've thought up. Apparently, the sequel was tentatively called Everybody's 1-2-Switch, a title that alluded to support for up to 100 players at once with the use of smart phones.

The full report is absolutely worth a read, but here's where things really get Nintendo weird. Nintendo reportedly created a character that would act as the host of the sequel's various minigames, and apparently the host was a man wearing a rubber horse mask who was referred to in the in-game text simply as "horse," apparently because it sounds close enough to the English word "host" for international appeal. (Don't ask me, I'm just the messenger here).

Everybody's 1-2-Switch reportedly included minigames including musical chairs, bingo, and a virtual spin-the-bottle type game where you were asked with saying something nice about the other player(s). And according to Fanbyte, pretty much everyone who tested the game hated it, with testers calling the games boring and tedious. It's said that the games were so poorly received that people involved with the localization process began calling the game "Horseshit" as a shorthand referencing the game's host.

Needless to say, development on Everybody's 1-2-Switch is reportedly in limbo, and it's unclear if it'll ever launch. Fanbyte's sources say it's likely Nintendo will eventually announce the sequel, but likely not before some big changes are made to the tested version.

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.