Nintendo faces backlash over major Switch 2 leaks

Former Nintendo staff have described the recent leak of upcoming Switch 2 game details as a “worst-case scenario” for the company, which has long relied on surprising fans with its announcements, News.Az reports, citing IGN.

Speaking on their podcast, former Nintendo Minute presenters Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang discussed the high-profile leak of Nintendo’s supposed upcoming Switch 2 release slate by internet tipster NatetheHate — a leak that gained further credibility after Nintendo unveiled Star Fox.

Although slightly later than expected, Star Fox’s Switch 2 appearance matched earlier descriptions of a classic-style entry in the franchise, specifically a remake of Star Fox 64, scheduled for release in the coming months and set to launch on June 25.

Ellis questioned whether Nintendo deliberately delayed the Star Fox announcement to counter the leak’s timing, but said this was unlikely due to constantly shifting marketing plans and scheduling challenges, including Japan’s annual Golden Week holiday. Instead of being revealed before the holiday at the end of April, the announcement came in the first week of May.

“I don't really buy that [it was intentionally delayed],” Ellis said. “It was just a slight shift to plans. And at some point, Nintendo can't... It's like: ‘we don't negotiate with terrorists, we can't let someone dictate our plans’.”

However, both agreed that the leak had significantly harmed the company’s strategy, and could push Nintendo further toward smaller, more frequent, surprise announcements rather than large-scale Nintendo Direct presentations.

“Nintendo is shifting tactics in a world where leaks are more prevalent,” Yang said.

“If you're Nintendo, you're obviously pulling your hair out at this,” Ellis said. “This is a worst-case scenario. You're the company that banks on surprising people. The element of surprise is a major factor to why announcements are impactful and now that has been taken away, presumably, for a while.”

“It messes with their expectation management,” Yang added. “There's a very strong focus on that element. On one hand is the surprise and delight and the other is the expectation management. Both of these have been compromised now from the leaks.”

The discussion also noted that widespread expectations of a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake this Christmas have increased pressure on Nintendo, as fans are now forming expectations about how the game should look and be updated — expectations that may not all be met.

“There's the idea of this Nintendo Direct era being a bit antiquated because of these leaks and because of the way people receive information,” Yang said. “They may just have to rethink the way they share information. The shadow-dropped Direct was a good idea. The Nintendo Today drops are fun little surprises — they did that with the Splatoon Raiders trailer.”

“That hype is now very much dwindled, because you already knew all the things going in,” Yang added. “We felt it too. We certainly felt it when everything about the Switch 2 leaked last year and we saw the first-look video. I was like, I already saw that. It looked exactly like what we saw. That is a human reaction to seeing something that is not new, you know? So I get it.”

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev