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Switch reveal video caused “a lot of drama” and “headbutting” at Nintendo of America

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
According to comments from former Nintendo of America employees, there was “a lot of drama” and “headbutting” surrounding the Switch reveal video, including from people high up at the company.

The video we’re referring to is the one that came out eight years ago, giving everyone a first glimpse at the system. It showed various scenarios and ways in which Switch can be played. The video brought us the well-known “Karen” rooftop meme, showed a glimpse of Super Mario Odyssey for the first time, and more.
The drama seemed to stem from how different the reveal was compared to past platform announcements from Nintendo. There wasn’t any sort of explanation or talking – the focus was very much about just playing Switch rather than sharing specific details about the hardware like specs.

Kit and Krysta shared the following:
Krysta: Not everybody felt that way. It’s very jarring if you’ve been at Nintendo for like twenty years, and you’ve revealed many, many pieces of hardware throughout the years.

Kit: People need to know how many buttons there are.

Krysta: People want to know specs… and there are lots of people at the company that still had the mentality of like, ‘we need to play in the same playground as Xbox and PlayStation, and we need to talk about our specs.’ It’s like, you never win on that playground. You would get your butt kicked on that playground.

… There was a lot of drama though. There was a lot of like headbutting. I was in a few meetings like where they were doing storyboards and things like that… and people were not on board.

Kit: … We were not a part of them, but we heard there was some back and forths, like “are we certain that this is the right direction?”

Krysta: Definitely there were like some very high up people too on the NOA side that were not really on board, but in the end, it was sort of like “too bad, we heard your opinion.”

Kit: This isn’t really up for discussion.

Krysta: That’s exactly what it was. The door had completely closed. We are doing it this way, get on board.
Something that Kit and Krysta also revealed is that they had actually filmed a Switch video with former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, but it never released to the public. The idea here was to get ahead of any potential confused or mixed reaction. According to Kit, the point of the video was “just kind of talking about some of the details that were int he reveal, focusing on some of those anticipated points where people may not totally get it and just have this conversation where you can lay it out but be very clear.” But after analyzing the results and feedback, Nintendo was satisfied with how things played out and decided against releasing the video with Reggie.

Here's the Switch reveal video for anyone curious:

 

Deerock71

Member
Personally I found it odd how the reveal did not focus on all age demographics. The family with the goofy dad, grandpa and 'ma, the usual stuff Nintendo used in its messaging. It was mostly young hip youths.
joe pesci youths GIF
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Obviously the reveal worked. Most casual Nintendo fans (that this system was targeted to) don't give a shit about specs.
 

Robb

Gold Member
Not surprising or hard to believe considering they were coming from the WiiU which was consumer confusion incarnate.

Good on them for not pivoting though. That first Switch reveal was great and provided a very clear vision and use case that was easy to understand.
 
Not surprised, and glad they went the way they did. Nintendo saw this far out that specs didn’t matter for the type of games they make, nor for the blossoming indie space. As long as you are in the same ballpark and the device is a handheld hybrid, it would work. It’s the complete opposite direction Sony is taking with the PS5 Pro and we can see the effect that has on budgets and profitability.
 

Holammer

Member
After careful consideration I think this is a post-hoc narrative for marketing, to make them look good.
The WiiU E3 reveal had no mention of specs either. It too focuses on showing how it can be used.

 

SenkiDala

Member
I thought it was a great promo actually. Having said that, I've never seen anyone in public playing a Switch. It seems to be very much a home console.
Now you're saying it that's true. I work in an office, a very safe place, many of my coworkers own a Switch and nobody brought it there. I've also never seen a Switch in transportations, bus, train, or even airplanes. I take a LOT of transportations (as I don't drive cars, I'm always in a bus/train/plane) and I've never seen 1 Switch. Back then I've seen plenty of DS/3DS or even PSPs but Switch? No, not even the Lite one...

2 reasons for this I think : it's too big and not suitable for uses outside of home even though they tried to advertise it like this. And now smartphones are SO popular and wide spreader than it's more than enough for transportations.
 
What worked in 2017 may not work in 2024/25

The reveal was mainly about wowing people with the great ideas regarding it being a handheld that connected to the TV. Showing off the joycons and the versatile form factors.

Switch 2 seems to be very much the same kind of system with better graphics, so how do they repeat that reveal success?
 
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Fbh

Member
The reveal was great, the video did a good job showcasing the main features of the console even to more casual players.
Not focusing on the specs was the right move too, the vast majority of the audience for a device like this doesn't care about them. And for those who do you can still have a blog post or something like that detailing all of the technical aspects.

What worked in 2017 may not work in 2024/25

The reveal was mainly about wowing people with the great ideas regarding it being a handheld that connected to the TV. Showing off the joycons and the versatile form factors.

Switch 2 seems to be very much the same kind of system with better graphics, so how do they repeat that reveal success?

That's a good point.
It worked for the Switch because the main selling point was the hybrid design. Assuming the new console is a straightforward iteration with stronger hardware (and probably some new gimmick) I do think they'll have to focus a bit more on the specs and what makes it better than the regular Switch.

After careful consideration I think this is a post-hoc narrative for marketing, to make them look good.
The WiiU E3 reveal had no mention of specs either. It too focuses on showing how it can be used.



Well one might argue that after how poorly the WiiU did, it would make sense for some higher ups to be cautious about taking a similar approach to reveal the Switch.

That said that whole WiiU reveal was so fucking bad. Between the stupid ass name and having literally every text in trailer talk about "the new controller" it's no wonder why everyone was left confused.
 

cireza

Member
Don't reveal the specs if you don't want to, but a lot of people will wait to know them before buying, because they don't want to buy some deprecated piece of hardware.

My expectations are so low I am not even thinking that there will be a significant upgrade compared to current Switch. But fail to make a significant upgrade, and people won't see a good reason to move on to the new Switch.
 
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Heimdall_Xtreme

Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
I must admit that when they showed Nintendo Switch it caught my attention that the mature public played it... But I was negative at first and criticized the console... As the months passed and I saw the survival horror and mature catalog, which is region free and cult games.

I change my mind... Now it is one of the best Nintendo consoles and I am fond of it.

My Switch catalog is for mature games, survival horror and visual novels.
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
Personally I found it odd how the reveal did not focus on all age demographics. The family with the goofy dad, grandpa and 'ma, the usual stuff Nintendo used in its messaging. It was mostly young hip youths.
A great success for me... That it was aimed at the mature audience.

I hate those Wii ads, but Nintendo Switch made me have faith in the company again.
 

dave_d

Member
I thought it was a great promo actually. Having said that, I've never seen anyone in public playing a Switch. It seems to be very much a home console.
I've only seen one person playing it in public. Kid waiting at the local barber shop was playing instead of reading a magazine.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
It was a great reveal that showed off the systems capabilities and appeal. Exactly the opposite of Wii U where nobody at Nintendo seemed to understand the purpose of the thing and why it existed.
 

Trilobit

Member
Now you're saying it that's true. I work in an office, a very safe place, many of my coworkers own a Switch and nobody brought it there. I've also never seen a Switch in transportations, bus, train, or even airplanes. I take a LOT of transportations (as I don't drive cars, I'm always in a bus/train/plane) and I've never seen 1 Switch. Back then I've seen plenty of DS/3DS or even PSPs but Switch? No, not even the Lite one...

2 reasons for this I think : it's too big and not suitable for uses outside of home even though they tried to advertise it like this. And now smartphones are SO popular and wide spreader than it's more than enough for transportations.

I've taken it with me to play multiplayer games with friends and it's several times easier to set it up vs any other console with four controllers. But when it comes to everyday life I don't use it much away from home exactly because of its size. As it's not a clamshell I don't want to just throw it in a bag without a protective case so that basically triples its volume in terms of thickness.

I have had much more travel use from my DS Lite as it's the perfect size and design to have in the pocket. A part of me feels a bit saddened that clamshells and smaller portables are probably a thing of the past.
 
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Heimdall_Xtreme

Hermen Hulst Fanclub's #1 Member
The reveal was perfect, and Nintendo is all the better now that Kit and Krysta are not working there anymore
And even much better... Since Reggie Films Aime left.... It's along with Jim Ryan and Hermen Hulst and the company Sweet baby are my public enemies, that group of morons...and also Niel Druckman And what's missing
 

SenkiDala

Member
I've taken it with me to play multiplayer games with friends and it's several times easier to set it up vs any other console with four controllers. But when it comes to everyday life I don't use it much away from home exactly because of its size. As it's not a clamshell I don't want to just throw it in a bag without a protective case so that basically triples its volume in terms of thickness.

I have had much more travel use from my DS Lite as it's the perfect size and design to have in the pocket. A part of me feels a bit saddened that clamshells and smaller portables are probably a thing of the past.
Yeah the DSlite was the greatest to me. The quality of the screen, the compatibility with GBA, the clamshell... I want a clamshell for the Switch 2 but it won't happen. I saw some accessories like this :
71SSDgy2wlL._AC_SX679_.jpg

The version for the Switch Lite is the best we can have :
81BajZZhmTL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


Not bad I guess.
 

StereoVsn

Gold Member
I thought it was a great promo actually. Having said that, I've never seen anyone in public playing a Switch. It seems to be very much a home console.
I have occasionally seen folks playing Switch in Starbucks, other coffee shops, trains and train stations, airports, planes, etc…

Heck, I have been seeing some folks playing Steam Deck and other PC handhelds.
 

Geometric-Crusher

"Nintendo games are like indies, and worth at most $19" 🤡
It was a great reveal that showed off the systems capabilities and appeal. Exactly the opposite of Wii U where nobody at Nintendo seemed to understand the purpose of the thing and why it existed.
I don't think so. Switch was a handheld anyone noticed that and unlike the Wii U having a switch is not intrusive like having a ps5 and a wii u. Nintendo made an excellent Zelda and to ensure that it would be excellent they spent tons of money on marketing, the Switch had Nintendo's five biggest games in the first year and this boosted the console's sales, congratulations to them, because if they launched a traditional console it would be the beginning of the end.
 

Skelterz

Member
I think the fact that opinions differ and there was pushback to what eventually became quite a successful launch trailer means that the echo chamber mentality doesn’t apply at Nintendo it’s healthy for there to be debate within a company as large as Nintendo and t means nobody gets above there station and innovation takes precedent over following the competition.
 
What worked in 2017 may not work in 2024/25

The reveal was mainly about wowing people with the great ideas regarding it being a handheld that connected to the TV. Showing off the joycons and the versatile form factors.

Switch 2 seems to be very much the same kind of system with better graphics, so how do they repeat that reveal success?
Yeah, the original Switch reveal was, well, a revelation as far as the hybrid concept, a paradigm shift. I'm not sure how they duplicate the same buzz if its just the same system but stronger.

I wonder what the 'hook' is this time around. Maybe they merely say 'hey, here's Mario Kart 9. Here's Metroid Prime 4. Here's Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake. Here's Red Dead Redemption 2. Here's Final Fantasy VII remake' and let the software do the heavy lifting this time around.
 
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spons

Member
Nintendo of America sounds wildly incompetent. Fuckers even included a Doge-meme in Zelda Triforce Heroes, where the European-English translation was actually normal.
 

Woopah

Member
After careful consideration I think this is a post-hoc narrative for marketing, to make them look good.
The WiiU E3 reveal had no mention of specs either. It too focuses on showing how it can be used.


The E3 reveal did talk about power in general and they had a couple of tech demos, including this one they showed on stage. There wasn't really anything like this for Switch.

 
Personally I found it odd how the reveal did not focus on all age demographics. The family with the goofy dad, grandpa and 'ma, the usual stuff Nintendo used in its messaging. It was mostly young hip youths.
they saw the numbers at the time im guessing, now it'll most likely include the parents and grandparents that grew up being gamers... maybe? The Mario Party holiday commercial was sort of like that.
 

ReyBrujo

Member
Why is that whenever something from this channel is posted here there's a part where they say "we were not a part of them but..." Literally everything they say is hearsay...
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
It seems like whoever decided to do what they did was proven correct. Did that say if it was a Japan directive or a noa leadership decision on the marketing.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I thought it was a great promo actually. Having said that, I've never seen anyone in public playing a Switch. It seems to be very much a home console.
I travel for work quite a bit and I often see it in airports and on planes. People of all ages playing.
 
Nintendo is a BIZARRE company
They’re a very conservative company with a lot of people across all three regions many of whom have worked there for decades. Not at all out of the ordinary that there was not 100% consensus behind the scenes for something as gravely important as how to reveal and launch the Switch. Their entire approach with the Switch was something completely different than what they normally had done up until then.

Likely the only thing 100% of them had in common was how desperately they all wanted the Switch to succeed. The only question is, how do you achieve that?
 
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Woopah

Member
Why is that whenever something from this channel is posted here there's a part where they say "we were not a part of them but..." Literally everything they say is hearsay...
Because for many topic the information cane from talking to their colleagues. They themselves are not personally in every meeting at Nintendo.
 
Why is that whenever something from this channel is posted here there's a part where they say "we were not a part of them but..." Literally everything they say is hearsay...
They actually didn’t say that. It was just one of them that wasn’t *directly involved. But they were both high up managers during that time so they have a lot of knowledge and information. So what you’re saying about how it’s all hearsay is actually not accurate. They were higher-up salary managers within the upper echelons of NoA. For like 14 years. They actually knew/know quite a lot. A lot of it is boring business stuff (that’s all NoA and NoE do, essentially, it’s a marketing/distribution arm). They didn’t work in the Treehouse, but they of course worked directly with Treehouse and Treehouse managers for product launches, E3, marketing plans, trailers, Directs, etc. They worked closely with Reggie for years. They also worked closely and had regular meetings with a lot of the still-current NCL management, which is where all the major decisions are made.
 
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Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
I really liked that reveal. I always thought it was very well done.
 
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