Former PlayStation exec Shuhei Yoshida on Switch 2 reveal: ‘I was surprised there weren’t many surprises’
Shuhei Yoshida was expecting more from Switch 2’s announcement last month
Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida has said Nintendo’s Switch 2 reveal left him wanting more, even if some of the planned surprises had already been spoiled by leaks.
The popular executive quit Sony last month after 31 years at the company, during which he helped launch the original PlayStation and served as its president of Worldwide Studios between 2008 and 2019.
“I thought the Switch 2 announcement could have been a larger reveal,” Yoshida said in a newly published interview with MinnMax, in which he also described himself as “a huge Nintendo fan” who grew up playing the company’s games.
“I was surprised there were not many surprises,” Yoshida said of the Switch 2 reveal. “The only surprise to me was the mice thing that they showed.”
Nintendo’s reveal trailer showed the Joy-Con controllers attaching to grips then sliding across the ground, much like a mouse would, before detaching from the grips and attaching to the Switch 2 console.
“Well I thought, you know, because the Switch 2 is more powerful and Call of Duty is coming, so people might want to play an FPS with mice, but hopefully because it’s Nintendo they use it in some more weird, amazing way, something that people wouldn’t anticipate,” Yoshida said.
“So I hope the next show, the beginning of April one, they will reveal something that’s still hidden to us about Switch 2,” he added.
Switch 2’s hardware design and numerous product details leaked prior to Nintendo’s official reveal. While Yoshida may not have been aware of it, the leaks actually included claims that the system’s Joy-Cons included mouse functionality.
“A leak is really disappointing right, even if it’s for another company, I feel very sorry when that happens,” Yoshida said. “And as a person, I like to be amazed right, surprised, ‘wow’, so hopefully further leak wouldn’t happen.”
Nintendo has yet to officially confirm a release date or price for Switch 2. However, a Nintendo Direct focusing on the console will be held on April 2.
In another interview last month, Yoshida explained why he believes the popular PS4 From Software title Bloodborne hasn’t been properly brought to PS5, discussed why the PS Vita failed, and said he would have resisted Sony’s push into live service games if he had still been in charge.
