If you aren’t planning to upgrade to a Nintendo Switch 2 this year, you might be jealous of some of the system’s big games. It turns out though, some of those games were initially planned for the original Switch. In an interview with Nintendo’s official website, the developers of Mario Kart World revealed that maintaining performance on the previous system became difficult due to new features, such as the increase to 24 on-screen racers. The developers would have been forced to make concessions to the frame rate and visuals to get it working on Switch 1. Around 2020, the decision was made to move development over to Nintendo Switch 2.
It turns out, Mario Kart World isn’t the only game that was initially planned for the original Switch. In a new interview with Famitsu (translated by Nintendo Everything), Koei Tecmo’s Yosuke Hayashi revealed that a similar situation played out for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. The game started life on the previous system, but once development shifted to Switch 2, Hayashi says that the developers could increase the frame rate and feature more enemies on-screen.
“When this project first started, we were developing it as a Nintendo Switch game for a while. We changed it to Nintendo Switch 2 midway through, and just by transferring what we had been creating up until then to Nintendo Switch 2, the number of enemies that appeared and the frame rate changed dramatically, and the game simply became a lot more fun. We were also surprised at how much the game’s fun could change thanks to the hardware,” Hayashi told Famitsu.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is the third game in the Hyrule Warriors spin-off series, which mashes up elements from the Zelda series with the gameplay of Dynasty Warriors. The previous entry was 2020’s Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. While the game was mostly well-received, Age of Calamity‘s frame rate on the original Switch left something to be desired. For that reason alone, the decision to move Age of Imprisonment‘s development to Nintendo Switch 2 makes a lot of sense. It remains to be seen just how much the performance will improve following the change, but hopefully the developers at Koei Tecmo can take great advantage of the new hardware.
The decisions to move Mario Kart World and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment to the new system will likely frustrate those that won’t be able to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 in the immediate future. However, it’s worth noting that some of this year’s big Switch 2 games will also launch on the original Switch; both Pokemon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be released simultaneously on both platforms. Additionally, Nintendo has announced at least two more first-party Switch 1 games coming in 2026: Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.
Are you disappointed that these two games won’t be released on the original Switch? Have you upgraded to Nintendo Switch 2 yet? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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