Summary
- Not everyone is convinced that the Switch 2 is the right name, but former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden defended it in a recent interview.
- While many suggested taking a new name altogether, or something simple like the Super Nintendo Switch, Layden argued that there was “so much brand value” to the Switch that shouldn’t be messed with.
There was a lot of hubbub about what the Switch 2 might be called before it was officially announced. But after the confusing fiasco that was the Wii U, which sold only 14 million copies, there was no other choice.
Many mistook the Wii U for another in a long line of accessories, joining the ranks of the Nunchuck, Wheel, and Balance Board, whereas a ‘Wii 2’ would have made things much clearer. That’s a lesson Nintendo clearly took to heart, but some fans still argue that the Switch 2 is a boring choice.
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden couldn’t have seen it going any other way; “[Nintendo] created so much brand value in the word Switch, why would you mess with that?,” Layden said in an interview with Kiwi Talkz (as reported by Nintendo Life).
They’ve been in this business a long time, they’ve seen all the peaks and valleys… they will continue to be successful.
“Everyone respects Nintendo, they’re a competitor, but you respect everything they’ve done to create this industry that now we all enjoy and love, so I think they’ll keep on keeping on and the way they do it, they’ve got the right people around it, the right attitude around it.”
Taking A Leaf From PlayStation’s Book
It’s hardly surprising that a former PlayStation boss would defend the Switch 2 naming scheme; Sony nailed it 25 years ago with the PS2. It avoids confusion, sets it apart from other models like Pro and Slim, and makes it immediately clear that this console is the next generation, all things that the Wii U failed to do.
Bizarrely, PlayStation is the only modern console to follow this trend. Nintendo continued the Game Boy with the Color and Advance, and the DS was succeeded by the DSi and 3DS. Xbox, meanwhile, has had confusing name after confusing name since the beginning. The Xbox was followed by the Xbox 360, which was followed by the Xbox One. The mid-gen refreshes were then dubbed One X and One S, not to be confused with their subsequent next-gen successors, the Series X and Series S.
Arguably more egregious than the Wii U naming.
Switch could’ve experimented with ideas like the Super Nintendo Switch, akin to the SNES, but that risked muddying the waters and presenting the next generation as another new model akin to the OLED or Lite, rather than a successor. It could’ve toyed with a more experimental name like Xbox 360, but it tried that already with the Wii U. The Switch 2 was the only option.
Nintendo Switch 2
- Brand
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Nintendo
- Original Release Date
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2025