Our Big Nintendo Switch 2 Interview with Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen

Editor’s note: This interrogation was conducted connected April 3, 2025, anterior to Nintendo’s announcement astir delaying Switch 2 pre-orders successful the United States owed to the imaginable interaction of tariffs. Parts of this interrogation were edited for clarity.

Nintendo has yet pulled backmost the curtain connected Nintendo Switch 2, revealing the company's imaginativeness for its next-generation console and its games. But overshadowing dicussion astir what the Switch 2 is susceptible of, the caller gameplay mechanics successful Mario Kart World, and OG Switch games that volition find a caller lease of beingness connected Switch 2, is simply a backlash to Nintendo's pricing strategy.

We sat down with Nintendo of America's Vice President of Product and Player Experience Bill Trinen to speech astir the large first-party reveals similar Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, the strategy down pricing Switch 2 astatine $450 and Mario Kart astatine $80, the determination to merchandise Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour arsenic a paid integer merchandise alternatively than a pack-in game, his excitement for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's rodent controls and Masahiro Sakurai's instrumentality to the Kirby franchise, and more. Plus, does Bill cognize what Switch 2 cartridges sensation like? Read our afloat interrogation beneath to find out.

IGN: Congrats connected yet unveiling Nintendo Switch 2. How does it consciousness to yet person it retired there?

Bill Trinen: Well, it's conscionable breathtaking to beryllium capable to get each the details retired there. For us, the astir important happening is that we truly privation radical to admit and recognize that Nintendo Switch 2 is the existent successor to Nintendo Switch, takes what you emotion astir Nintendo Switch, and past builds connected it with a full batch of caller features and caller capabilities and caller games that instrumentality vantage of those. And truly takes what has evolved gaming with Nintendo into thing that's a batch much societal done things similar GameChat, which takes what was the anytime, anyplace play of Nintendo Switch and makes it much each together, anytime, anywhere.

IGN: So you conscionable mentioned GameChat, that was a immense portion of your presumption yesterday. Why was present the clip to yet present Nintendo dependable chat, which is thing that radical person wanted connected your consoles for a truly agelong time?

Trinen: Well, I would accidental we've ever looked astatine it from the position of, 'what is Nintendo's existent spot and what are Nintendo's existent values?' And for us, the astir important happening is putting smiles connected people's faces and doing it successful a mode that radical tin spot and acquisition the smiles that they person with the radical that are astir important to them.

And surely determination person been different crippled systems with chat and things similar that up until now, but what we wanted to bash was to instrumentality thing that could yet replicate that aforesaid room, sofa multiplayer, sofa co-op acquisition and joy, and bring that into an online space. And truthful for us, GameChat is wherefore it's truthful important is the operation of being capable to spot their faces, being capable to spot what they're doing from a gameplay position and being capable to consciousness similar you've yet got a virtual abstraction wherever you tin person those aforesaid experiences that you mightiness person successful your surviving room. So that's wherefore with the powerfulness of, I would accidental Switch 2, being capable to yet execute that has been a large absorption for us.

IGN: Cool. And we ever knew if you did dependable chat, it would beryllium successful the astir Nintendo way, and conscionable with the camera and the mic connected the portion successful the dock and you say, 'oh, don't interest the inheritance sound won't get in.' It was a chill presentation.

Trinen: Good. And that's the bully happening is with the built-in microphone, it's like, yeah, you tin conscionable dependable chat if you privation and you tin bash that portably arsenic well.

IGN: Well, let's speech astir Donkey Kong Bananza. I emotion the rubric by the way, it's perfect. Although past nighttime erstwhile I was scrambling to benignant my preview, it autocorrected to 'Bonanza' each time, and I was like, 'I’ve got to adhd this to my dictionary.' But I emotion the sanction and it's truthful breathtaking to spot DK backmost successful the spotlight aft truthful long. And I noticed truthful galore things conscionable getting my hands connected the controller for the archetypal time. So erstwhile you guys got this crippled successful astatine Nintendo of America, what stuck retired to you the most? What was your favourite portion astir moving connected it from a localization position oregon thing else?

Trinen: Well, truthful I'll commencement with a truly unspeakable joke, which is I similar to telephone this the astir groundbreaking crippled successful video crippled history.

IGN: [Laughs] I utilized that successful my preview today. I said, 'you person to interruption each the crushed you tin due to the fact that you mightiness marque a groundbreaking discovery.'

Trinen: [Laughs] That's right. So for us, the fig 1 happening that I deliberation is astir apt conscionable the astir satisfying astir this crippled is conscionable DK the character. He's back, he's backmost successful a large way. And DK is simply a quality wrong the pantheon of Nintendo characters who has ever been a spot connected the much almighty side, chaotic astatine times, silly.

And each of that has conscionable been thoroughly baked into this game. And arsenic the quality DK, you're capable to usage the powerfulness of his punches and you mightiness onslaught an force successful the environment, and that force goes flying and hits a partition and the partition crumbles and you spot thing there, and that past entices you to spell successful and commencement digging done the terrain to spot what other you tin find backmost there. And it conscionable creates this incredibly rewarding rhythm of demolition and find that is woven each passim the game.

IGN: The find via demolition was a truly chill cornerstone of this crippled from my clip with it. I thought that was conscionable truly great. And the 2nd that I started playing it, I conscionable felt the DNA of Super Mario Odyssey and Mr. [Yoshiaki] Koizumi's squad each implicit this successful truthful galore ways. Are they the ones that are moving connected this?

Trinen: It's a precise bully question. You'll person to enactment tuned. We ever similar to commencement by showcasing the crippled and getting radical focused connected the gameplay, but we'll person immoderate accusation to stock astir the developer successful owed time.

IGN: Okay. Can you archer me, is this internally developed? Because determination hasn't been an interior Donkey Kong crippled since I judge Jungle Beat was the past one?

Trinen: Jungle Beat was the past one.

IGN: You had the NST (Nintendo Software Technology) bash the Mario vs. Donkey Kongs, but...

Trinen: NST has done the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, but this is going to beryllium a amusive one.

IGN: So thing much connected that?

Trinen: Nothing much connected that yet.

IGN: Okay. I had to try. Let's speech astir Mario Kart World, due to the fact that there's truthful overmuch large worldly successful there, but I deliberation the cattle is what's stealing everybody's heart. Did you expect that reaction? There's Akira memes astir the cow, it's hilarious retired there. Did you cognize the cattle was going to beryllium a large star?

Trinen: I would accidental possibly not arsenic large arsenic the cattle has become. Internally, surely the precise archetypal infinitesimal that we saw the cow, everybody wanted to play arsenic Cow.

IGN: When we were playing Knockout Tour yesterday, determination were conscionable similar 7 cows connected the track.

Trinen: Well, that's the different happening that I conscionable emotion astir Mario Kart World is with the interconnected satellite of tracks, arsenic I'm driving, you'll commencement thing similar Knockout Tour and you'll beryllium driving crossed the continent. And what utilized to beryllium the Mario Kart exemplary was there's discrete tracks and you contention connected a discrete way and past you take a antithetic way and you contention connected a antithetic discrete track.

And present what I find is I'm driving through, I'm starting successful a caller way and driving crossed the terrain and, 'Oh, I conscionable happened to walk done Moo Moo Meadows and present I'm onto the adjacent thing.' And it's conscionable similar for idiosyncratic that's grown up playing Mario Kart for truthful galore years, conscionable to beryllium capable to person that acquisition and portion it each unneurotic mentally into this large monolithic continent of racing has been a full batch of amusive for me.

IGN: It feels similar a taxable parkland of Mario Kart history, and I'm driving yesterday and going done each the antithetic segments and past each of a sudden, 'Oh, I'm successful the geyser passageway from Dino Dino Jungle from Double Dash.' But I'm wondering, truthful close present it seems similar the races, you commencement astatine 1 way and extremity up astatine another, and past the last thigh is 1 loop astir that last circuit you extremity up at. Not successful the Knockout Tour, that's different, but is determination a clip proceedings oregon versus contention mode that’s a mode to conscionable bash 3 laps astatine this track? Or are you ever driving interconnected betwixt them erstwhile you're racing?

Trinen: You volition person abilities to thrust 3 laps connected definite tracks. Obviously we've got a Nintendo Direct dedicated to Mario Kart World coming. I deliberation you'll spot a batch much connected the crippled there, and I deliberation a batch much that volition hopefully astonishment you and marque you truly consciousness like, 'Wow, there's a batch to this game.'

IGN: That volition beryllium truly bully to see. Because close present it looks great, it plays great, but I deliberation the speech of the municipality is the terms tag. This is an $80 crippled from Nintendo successful the United States and $50 if you bargain the Nintendo Switch 2 bundle. But I saw determination connected your website that that bundle is lone disposable for a constricted clip portion supplies last. Can you conscionable speech astir the strategy down pricing Mario Kart World this way?

Trinen: Well, I would accidental it's little astir the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it's much conscionable whenever we look astatine a fixed game, we conscionable look astatine what is the experience, and what's the content, and what's the value? Mario Kart World, I deliberation particularly arsenic you spot from the Nintendo Direct, not to springiness you immoderate hints oregon anything, but I did work your nonfiction this greeting and I deliberation you had mentioned that you didn’t find a batch to observe erstwhile roaming around. So I would accidental tune into our Mario Kart Direct to spot what, possibly you'll beryllium capable to find retired astir that.

But honestly, this is simply a crippled that is truthful large and truthful immense and you volition find truthful galore small things successful it to discover. And there's inactive immoderate different secrets remaining that I deliberation arsenic radical extremity up buying and playing the game, they're going to find this to beryllium astir apt the richest Mario Kart acquisition they've ever had.

IGN: Okay. And to conscionable enactment connected pricing for a small spot here. I'm looking astatine the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of games and immoderate games are $70, immoderate are $80. That's what it's looking similar close now. And immoderate are cheaper than that too. I don't deliberation we cognize the U.S. terms for the Welcome Tour yet, but I deliberation we saw the Japanese terms is astir $10.

Trinen: Yeah, the U.S. terms is $9.99 for the Welcome Tour.

IGN: $9.99. Okay, integer only.

Trinen: Yes.

IGN: I'm conscionable wondering astir the strategy down pricing these Nintendo Switch 2 Editions astatine the operation of the Switch 1 retail price, usually $59.99, and past immoderate that upgrade way is, similar $10 for Breath of the Wild, making that a $70 game, oregon Tears of the Kingdom is an $80 crippled due to the fact that it's $70 positive the $10 upgrade path. Can you conscionable locomotion maine done the strategy down not offering immoderate benignant of discount for newcomers connected Switch 2 and saying, 'Tears of the Kingdom is $80 present conscionable similar Mario Kart is?'

Trinen: Well, again, what I would accidental is that we conscionable look astatine each idiosyncratic crippled and we look astatine the contented and the worth of that game, and past we say, 'what is the close terms for the worth of this entertainment?' What I would astir apt antagonistic to immoderate of that is that truly what you're looking astatine is for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, that's the carnal terms for idiosyncratic that has not bought the basal game.

For idiosyncratic who has bought Tears of the Kingdom oregon Breath of the Wild, the upgrade packs for those are $9.99. And if you hap to beryllium a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member, some of the Zelda upgrade packs are inclusive wrong that membership. So there's nary further complaint for those. But I deliberation overall, our wide attack is truly conscionable absorption connected what's the content, what's the value, and what's an due terms based connected that.

IGN: Okay, thanks. And past the pricing for the console itself, too. A batch of radical are talking astir it — $450 successful the United States, and we cognize determination are decidedly planetary economical factors astatine play. Can you stock thing down the strategy for pricing of the console? Was this thing that was up to the ligament wherever you didn't cognize what it was going to outgo until recently? Can you stock immoderate insight?

Trinen: Can't truly stock penetration into immoderate of that. Obviously the outgo of everything goes up implicit time, and I personally would emotion if the outgo of things didn't spell up implicit time. But I deliberation immoderate clip you're gathering a caller strategy that's got caller features and caller tech, there's costs associated with that. So again, we look astatine what is the acquisition connected Nintendo Switch? What's the acquisition connected Nintendo Switch 2? What are the caller features that it offers? And surely there's the outgo of goods and things that origin into that, but we effort to find the close due terms for a merchandise based connected that.

IGN: Last question connected price, I promise. I played Welcome Tour connected the amusement level and I walked distant and thought, 'this is simply a cleanable pack-in game.' It shows what the console is, it shows HDR, it shows these caller technologies Nintendo is embracing — successful immoderate cases for the archetypal clip — and I consciousness similar it's a large showcase for the console. Was determination ever immoderate speech of making this a pack-in game, and wherefore did you marque the determination to terms it arsenic a abstracted integer product?

Trinen: It's an absorbing product. We're really getting acceptable today, we're going to beryllium doing immoderate Nintendo Treehouse Live segments and covering a batch of games successful detail. That's 1 of them. And I deliberation radical volition beryllium capable to spot done Treehouse Live astir apt a small spot much possibly than you were capable to spot connected the amusement floor. It's a beauteous robust portion of software. There's a batch of large item successful there.

For immoderate people, I deliberation determination are radical who are peculiarly funny successful the tech and the specs of the strategy and things similar that, for them I deliberation it's going to beryllium a large product. It's truly for radical that privation much accusation astir the strategy alternatively than needfully a speedy intro to everything it does. And for that crushed and conscionable the magnitude of attraction and enactment that the squad enactment into it, I deliberation it was decided that, 'Yeah, this feels similar $9.99 is not an exorbitant price. It feels similar a bully worth for what you're getting retired of the product.'

IGN: Okay. I privation to speech astir immoderate of the features of the Joy-Con 2 present due to the fact that I was truly impressed with the rodent functionality. I thought that it worked really, truly good successful thing similar Metroid Prime 4. I tin spot that being the preferred mode for a batch of radical to play that game. So what are your expectations for rodent controls? Are you hoping that third-party developers marque large usage of them? Do you deliberation it tin bring caller types of games? Just speech to maine astir your feelings astir the mouse.

Trinen: Well, personally, I'm truly excited astir the rodent control. I don't cognize what your acquisition with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was, the mode that to maine is astir apt my favourite mode to play is I similar to play divided Joy-Con. I conscionable similar the state of having my hands not locked onto a controller similar that. So I often similar to play divided Joy-Con and having the state to conscionable seamlessly driblet the rodent down for combat and past prime it backmost up for divided Joy-Con, to maine is something, fig one, you can't bash with immoderate different console, you can't bash connected PC.

And it makes for a truly large acquisition for the Prime series, peculiarly due to the fact that the Prime bid is the creator of the first-person escapade genre. And truthful successful a bid wherever you're doing a batch of exploration that's got immoderate combat mixed successful with it, that state feels right. Because for me, I consciousness similar if I'm doing a batch of exploration, I privation to beryllium divided Joy-Con. That flexibility to maine is amazing.

I deliberation the different happening that astir apt I'm hoping radical are catching onto is that, yes, the Joy-Con 2 introduced rodent control, but they present rodent power successful conjunction with the different exertion wrong the Joy-Con. So whereas with a PC mouse, you're moving up and down and broadside to broadside and whatnot, with the Joy-Con, you've got the added quality to use things similar the space that you're twisting the Joy-Con at, and having that besides interaction the play power with the mouse.

Or you've got 2 Joy-Con that person rodent power each, and that means 2 things. It means either you tin person contiguous two-player rodent power gameplay close retired of the container with the Nintendo Switch 2, oregon it means, arsenic we spot with Drag x Drive, that you tin bash things with dual Joy-Con control, which hasn't been done before. And truthful my anticipation is truly threefold. One, is that our ain improvement teams proceed to experimentation with what they tin bash with the rodent to make originative caller ways to usage it.

I anticipation that we commencement to spot third-parties that are past looking astatine opportunities with things similar dual rodent power oregon operation of rodent positive question power to germinate their gameplay. But I besides bash anticipation that erstwhile you look astatine PC developers, for example, if they privation to bring a PC-based crippled to console, they person to walk a batch of clip revamping the power strategy and adapting it to fastener controls. And truthful having the state of rodent power with the Joy-Con hopefully makes PC developers a batch much anxious to privation to bring their games to Nintendo Switch 2.

IGN: Well, my societal squad truly wants to know. We don't person Switch 2 cartridges here. Do they sensation similar Switch 1 cartridges?

Trinen: [Laughs] I don't cognize yet.

IGN: You haven't done a sensation test?

Trinen: I person not done a sensation test. I support hoping for pistachio flavor, but that's not happening.

IGN: [Laughs] I don't deliberation that would crook distant the kids. Okay, cool. Well, my past question present is that Kirby Air Riders was a immense astonishment astatine the Nintendo Direct yesterday. And to spot that is this concealed task that Mr. [Masahiro] Sakurai teased earlier this twelvemonth aft wrapping up his YouTube series. Cool to spot him travel backmost to enactment with you guys again. Can you stock immoderate details further than that teaser we got successful the Direct?

Trinen: Well, I judge Mr. Sakurai has said that determination volition not beryllium immoderate further accusation connected the crippled for rather a while. The team's moving precise hard connected it. But for me, this was astir apt 1 of the astir breathtaking announcements for a mates of reasons.

One, I'm ever excited to spot what Sakurai-san is moving on. Two, helium created the Kirby quality and the Kirby franchise. And truthful it's large to spot him travel backmost to pb and nonstop a Kirby crippled again for the archetypal clip successful a mates of decades. But I deliberation much importantly, I've ever felt that Kirby Air Ride connected GameCube was a crippled that was up of its clip and possibly not afloat understood astatine the clip that it came out.

And truthful I'm conscionable truly excited due to the fact that there's a halfway radical of radical that played that crippled connected GameCube that emotion it to death. And fig one, I'm conscionable blessed due to the fact that for them, this is specified a large announcement and it's truthful bully to spot their excitement. But astatine the aforesaid time, I deliberation that with wherever we are successful the crippled manufacture today, I deliberation we've got a existent accidental to present a overmuch bigger assemblage to Kirby Air Riders. And I deliberation radical volition yet truly statesman to admit conscionable what I deliberation is the genius of Masahiro Sakurai and what helium created with that game.

IGN: Well, I'm successful that halfway group. It's similar 1 of my large puerility games. I emotion Kirby Air Ride, City Trial Free Roam. That's each I was doing, truthful I'm precise excited. But acknowledgment truthful much, Bill. We're ace excited for June 5 and everything other that's coming connected the way.

Trinen: Great. Thank you.

Logan Plant is the big of Nintendo Voice Chat and IGN's Database Manager & Playlist Editor. The Legend of Zelda is his favourite video crippled franchise of each time, and helium is patiently awaiting the time Nintendo announces a marque caller F-Zero. You tin find him connected Bluesky @LoganJPlant.