Latest news with #MasahiroSakurai
Tokyo Weekender
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Switch 2 Smashes Nintendo's Record, Selling 3.5 Million Units in Four Days
Nintendo announced on Wednesday that it had sold a record 3.5 million Switch 2 units worldwide in the first four days after the launch of the console. The astonishing figure surpasses the first month's sales of the original Switch (2.7 million units) and Sony's PlayStation 5 (3.4 million units). The former went on to sell more than 152 million units, making it the third best-selling game console of all time, behind the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo DS. Switch 2 Sales Predicted To Exceed Company's Expectations Last month, Nintendo said that Switch 2 sales would reach 15 million during the current financial year which ends on March 31, 2026. Analysts, however, consider that to be a modest target set by the company. Serkan Toto, CEO and founder of gaming industry consultancy Kantan Games, believes it will sell over 20 million units in the first year. He told CNBC , 'All signals prior to launch pointed to significant demand, and I believe we will see further records broken over the next weeks or months.' The coveted console, which is similar in design to its predecessor, though has a bigger screen and larger, redesigned controllers, was released in most regions on June 5. Around the world, excited gamers lined up outside electronic stores, waiting for the midnight opening. In Japan alone, around 2.2 million people applied for a lottery system to buy the console. Even before it went on sale, Nintendo reportedly started shipping Switch 2 branded 'Out of Stock' signs to retailers. Mario Kart World Mario Kart World was also released on June 5 as the launch game for the Nintendo Switch 2. It has added an open world to the series, providing players with the opportunity to race across a giant connected map from one circuit to another. Other exciting titles include the 3D platforming action-adventure game, Donkey Kong Bananza , which will be released on July 17, and Kirby Air Riders, a new title from Super Smash Bros.' director Masahiro Sakurai, which will come out later this year. Related Posts Nintendo Announces the Successor to the Nintendo Switch Bricks and Buttons: The Lego Nintendo Game Boy How to Find Tokyo's Secret Nintendo Bar: 84 Hashi Cafe
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai is surprised the Switch 2 Direct is an hour long, and no, he doesn't know what's coming, even if "people are going to suspect no matter what"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Today's the big day – the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct will air in a few short hours. Ahead of the stream, Nintendo confirmed that we can expect it to be "approximately 60 minutes long," making for a lengthy broadcast that'll be about the same length as the January 2017 Switch 1 presentation, something that even Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai seems pretty shocked about. In a tweet posted a few hours ago (translated by Automaton), Sakurai calls the length of the Switch 2 presentation "a surprise," but quickly clarifies that "I do not know the contents of the announcement (besides, I don't belong to Nintendo)." Despite his disclaimer, he acknowledges that "people are going to suspect no matter what I say," and he knows this from experience. As Automaton points out, it was only last week that the Smash Ultimate director's short, simple response to Nintendo announcing its March Direct prompted fans to speculate whether he was teasing an announcement of his own. Needless to say, he wasn't and remarked that he can't tweet "carelessly." To be fair, fans do have reason to anticipate an announcement from Sakurai at some point. Last October, he confirmed that in July 2021, he "received a request to write a game proposal" and was "given the OK to move forward with production" in October 2021. He apologized that he wasn't able to "share more about this project," but added: "Assuming that we're able to get it made, it should be announced sooner or later." He's remained quiet on this since – we still don't have any idea what the game is or when we can expect it to surface. It's certainly one to look forward to, but it sounds like the developer knows better than to give away any clues on Twitter. In the meantime, we'll just have to get ready for whatever Nintendo has up its sleeve today – Sakurai says he's "looking forward to it," and he's definitely not the only one. You can keep up with all the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news in our live blog – here's hoping we get some news about upcoming Switch 2 games.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Super Smash Bros. director's Kirby Air Riders will come to the Switch 2
Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products. The Switch 2 Nintendo Direct has officially come and gone, leaving in its wake some big news about the system and its upcoming games. One of arguably the cutest announcements came courtesy of Kirby Air Riders, a new game from Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai. So, while there's sadly no new Smash game on the horizon, you can glide around with Kirby and friends. Kirby Air Riders comes over two decades after Sakurai designed Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube. Yes, you can now take a moment if reading this has made you feel old. After nearly a minute of build-up, the trailer shows Kirby riding along on the Warp Star machine, through a pleasant looking valley. It ends with the "rs" being dramatically attached to the original Kirby Air Ride title. We don't have an exact release date for Kirby Air Riders yet, but Nintendo says it will be sometime this year. As for the Switch 2, you can pick one up for $450 on June 5, along with new games like Mario Kart World.
