- Nintendo is ‘losing their identity’ according to former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida
- Yoshida suggested that Nintendo is more focused on hardware than innovation
- He says the Switch 2 offering third-party titles for new players is “exciting” but less so for those who already play the same games on multiple platforms
Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida thinks “Nintendo is losing their identity” by focusing more on the Switch 2’s hardware instead of innovation.
In a recent interview with Easy Allies following the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, where we finally received an in-depth look at the upcoming console, Yoshida shared his thoughts on the reveal, calling it a “mixed message from Nintendo”.
“In a sense, I think Nintendo is losing their identity, in my opinion,” Yoshida said. “For me, they are always about creating some new experience, like designing hardware and games together to create something, [an] amazing new experience. But Switch 2, as we all anticipated, is a better Switch, right?”
Yoshida explained that Nintendo has always done things differently when it comes to its reveals, but now compares it to what other companies, like Sony and Microsoft, usually do by focusing on hardware details.
“It’s a larger screen, more powerful processor, higher resolution, 4K 120fps. They even had their hardware person starting the stream as other platforms do.
“And because it’s a better Switch, the core premise of the whole Switch 2 is, ‘We made things better’, and that’s something other companies have been doing all the time.”
Special guest Shuhei Yoshida gets real about the Switch 2 pic.twitter.com/CzZYPnTtueApril 14, 2025
Yoshida then praised the Switch 2’s ability to offer third-party games like Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition for the first time for new players but suggested it was less tempting for those who already play games on multiple consoles.
“Of course it’s a more powerful Switch, so it’s great if your gaming was only on Nintendo hardware,” Yoshida said. “It’s the first time for you to play amazing games like Elden Ring. But for us, like, the core gamers, who own multiple hardware and play games on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, the games they showed off – especially from third parties… In theory, it’s amazing to have all these all-stars of industry games on Nintendo hardware, however, what they showed were like… oh.”
The Nintendo Switch 2 officially launches on June 5, 2025, and will cost $449.99 / £395.99 or $499.99 / £429.99 for a Mario Kart World bundle.
Although pre-orders are now live in the UK, Nintendo has announced that US pre-orders and Canada pre-orders have been delayed to “assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.”
The company confirmed that the launch date is unchanged and will provide a new pre-order date soon.
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