This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
Summary
- Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour is the company’s mysterious online playtest game, which was announced at today’s Nintendo Direct.
- The tech demo lets players explore new features, like mouse control, with a release date of June 5.
Nintendo loves to keep its secrets, despite not being very good at keeping secrets. Every big surprise it’s had up its sleeve is routinely spoiled in some way, including the Nintendo Switch 2, which was the biggest open secret in the industry for almost a year. Now, the exact same can be said about the game it’s been conducting online playtests for over the past few months.
Back in October, Nintendo opened applications for an online playtest program, with 10,000 picked to participate. Shortly after the playtest started, details about the game unsurprisingly began to spread, revealing that we’re looking at either an MMO or some kind of strand game. Then, a new patent revealed that the game is being helmed by former Splatoon directors.
Nintendo Reveals Its Online Playtest Game, Titled Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour
Now that a decent amount of time has passed, it seems as though Nintendo is finally ready to drop the secrecy. Announced during the big Nintendo Switch 2 Direct earlier today, this online playtest game is actually titled Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour.
To break it down in simple terms, Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour is essentially a tech demo that will let players try out the new features of the Nintendo Switch 2, such as the mouse feature. One example given is a small golf game, in which you can angle the club with the mouse. A maraca minigame was also shown, alongside a hub world which contains details on the system itself.
Nintendo Switch 2: Welcome Tour will be available on the same day as the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, which is June 5 later this year. It will be a digital-only game, and you’ll have to pay for it, which is a little surprising given Nintendo’s reputation for great free tech demos. Astro Bot is looking like a better deal every day.
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.