Latest news with #BillTrinen
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nintendo Direct Will Spotlight Donkey Kong Bananza This Week
Nintendo posted today that a Direct showcase focused on the upcoming Switch 2 game Donkey Kong Bananza will take place on June 18th. As the Nintendo Switch 2 launch year continues, the game releases are just as exciting! Nintendo posted today that a Direct showcase focused on the upcoming Switch 2 game Donkey Kong Bananza will take place on Wednesday, June 18th, at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm UK time. The announcement was spotted in the Nintendo Today! app, where the developers will talk more about the Switch 2 exclusive game. The announcement also revealed that the Direct will only last fifteen minutes, not sharing which details surrounding the game will be discussed. Donkey Kong Bananza is slated to release on July 17th, and is the first major Nintendo title to release on the Switch 2 following the console's launch. One of Donkey Kong Bananza's hidden details that was spotted online was a shot of Donkey Kong having an unknown purple rock character tagging along with him. Donkey Kong rescues the rock after finding it buried in the ground on Ingot Island, and the pair work together in the game. This was partially due to an accidental artwork post uploaded to Nintendo's Korean site. A burning question still waiting to be answered was, who is developing Donkey Kong Bananza? When asked by IGN earlier this year who was behind the game, Nintendo of America's vice president of product and player experience Bill Trinen, said, 'It's a very good question. You'll have to stay tuned. We always like to start by showcasing the game and getting people focused on the gameplay, but we'll have some information to share about the developer in due time.' If anyone is wondering whether there will be other announcements made about other Switch 2 games or projects, the chances are very slim. Since Wednesday's Direct will only be fifteen minutes long, the focus appeared to be exclusively on Donkey Kong Bananza. For the big Nintendo fans, this game's launch should help expand the Switch 2's exclusive games list. So far, only Mario Kart World and Welcome Tour are currently out. Players can expect to hear more about the Switch 2 exclusives soon for Survival Kids, Kirby Air Riders, and the recently announced Splatoon Raiders. CGMagazine's very own EIC, Brendan Frye, had the chance to preview Donkey Kong Bananza, noting 'how well it runs on the Nintendo Switch 2' and 'incredible how much of the world [the player] can smash through.' Frye compared the destructability elements to those of the original Red Faction game, where destroying environments played a pivotal role in the game. 'I'm amazed this is even possible on the Nintendo Switch 2. It might seem like a small detail, but the system's ability to keep track of all the chaos you cause is impressive and shows what the new Switch 2 can really do,' Frye continued.
CNET
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
It's Been a Week Since the Nintendo Switch 2 Launched: Now What?
At over 3.5 million units sold in just four days, the Nintendo Switch 2 is now the fastest-selling game console of all time, and shows no signs of stopping, with some retailers still having trouble keeping them in stock. This is all despite the jaw-dropping $450 price tag that kept some consumers from clicking "Add to Cart." Until recently, I was one of those purchase-shy shoppers, waiting for a cute, limited-edition model or an OLED screen. Then I watched several dozen social media clips of Cow winning races in Mario Kart World and got hit by a bovine load of FOMO. And despite CNET's Scott Stein insisting it was OK to wait to pick up a Switch 2, when the chance arose to pick one up directly during the console launch, I handed over my credit card with only some hesitation. But on the ride home, the smiling Mario on the box and I stared at one another like Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross at the end of The Graduate, the giddy high of ownership settling into stark reality. Had I really dropped $500 (yes, I got the bundle) for this console just to play Mario Kart? And if so -- now what? It was earlier at the Switch 2 launch in San Francisco where I spoke briefly with Bill Trinen, Nintendo of America's VP of Player and Product Experience, about how the game company planned to keep players excited after the midnight launch confetti settled. "We've got over 20 games launching on day 1," said Trinen. "That includes Mario Kart World, but that also includes a lot of games from some really important publishing and development partners." "Really, it's gonna be all about number one: the games we're launching with." Bill Trinen, Nintendo of America's VP of Player and Product Experience And that's true: Switch 2 owners can immediately play big titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Street Fighter 6, and indie titles like Deltarune, all formatted for the Switch 2, along with upgraded versions of Switch classics like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But those are far from brand new games. In fact, beyond Mario Kart World and the $10 Welcome Party tutorial game, Nintendo can't claim any new titles until Donkey Kong Bananza is released in July. (Donkey Kong was admittedly the game Trinen was most excited to play as well.) What else is there? That question doesn't seem to worry the company. Trinen continued, "Because Nintendo Switch 2 plays all your existing Nintendo Switch games, and because so many of those games are getting either upgrade packs […] or some are getting free updates, for a lot of people, just going back and revisiting some of those games is going to be a great experience." And that ultimately turned out to be true, for me at least. Even without cool Zelda Joy-Cons or a fancier OLED screen, I'm finding a lot of joy revisiting my library with the power of the Switch 2. After winning a few Cups in Grand Prix mode in MKW, I decided to visit my friends in Dreamlight Valley and was dazzled by the quick loading times and how much smoother it played compared to my original Switch. Hello Kity Island Adventure runs great on the Nintendo Switch 2. Sunblink/Sanrio The same was true when I hopped over to Hello Kitty Island Adventure. One of my seatmates flying back from Summer Game Fest was happily blasting away in Cyberpunk 2077, a game my home computer struggles to play without overheating, on his own Switch 2. So even if what's next is technically a lot of the same games (at least until July), I'm still happy with my decision, and that's before I even get to explore GameChat and mouse mode. But I do hope we won't have to wait too much longer for truly new experiences, especially for us cozy gamers. With the San Francisco Nintendo store covered in Pikmin merch, as well as Pikmin Bloom pop-ups, well, popping up around the world, I assumed it was a sure bet Nintendo was going to have some cuddly surprises at launch for those of us not punching each other in Yakuza 0. But so far, Nintendo has shown neither hide nor Slowpoke tail of the new cozy variety. In fact, the reason I was initially holding out on buying the system at launch was that I still remember the sting of finally buying a 3DS XL in 2013, only for Nintendo to release the Animal Crossing: New Leaf edition with a cute pattern and preinstalled game a few months later. So fine, Nintendo. Take your time for now. Just promise me there will be more Tom Nook in my future.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former PlayStation exec says "$70 or $80" games are a "steal": "As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money, I don't think they should be complaining"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It feels to me like the closer we get to the Nintendo Switch 2's June launch and the, apparently, $80 games associated with it, the more people are fighting with themselves over what is and isn't worth it. But at least Sony veteran and previous head of PlayStation Indies Shuhei Yoshida is free from inner turmoil – he thinks relatively expensive, high quality video games are unequivocally necessary. Speaking to Critical Hits Games in a video interview during the recent Gamescom Latam, Yoshida says "when you look at life in general, other products in price have increased, you know, way more than the game price. So I think it was almost too late for the video game companies to start looking at the pricing structure." "I don't believe that every game has to be priced the same," Yoshida continues. "Each game has different value it provides, or the size of budget. I totally believe it's up to the publisher – or developers self-publishing – decision to price their product to the value that they believe they are bringing in." Nintendo openly shares this mindset, as current Nintendo of America product experience VP Bill Trinen told IGN in April: "We just look at each individual game and we look at the content and the value of that game, and then we say, 'what is the right price for the value of this entertainment?'" The developer elected to price its strange Switch 2 tutorial, Welcome Tour, at $10 – instead of making it free like PlayStation's comparable Astro's Playroom. Yoshida continues to say that, "In terms of actual price of $70 or $80, for really great games, I think it will still be a steal in terms of the amount of entertainment that the top games, top quality games bring to people compared to other form of entertainment." "As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money," he continues, "I don't think they should be complaining." "I don't know" how much Borderlands 4 will cost, Gearbox boss says, but it had "more than twice the development budget for Borderlands 3" and "it might be" $80 like some Nintendo and Xbox games.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
任天堂確定Switch2展示軟體「Welcome Tour」賣10美金！官方人員表示值得這價格
任天堂 Nintendo Switch 2，其中一款互動遊戲《Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour》，基本上就是可以互動的 Switch 2 使用者說明書，卻因為宣布要收費的關係，引起不少玩家認為這種東西應該要免費提供。對此美國任天堂的產品與玩家體驗副總裁 Bill Trinen，在訪談中公開了《Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour》的售價。 相關新聞：Switch 2功能展示遊戲需「收費」引不滿？玩家舉例PS5、Steam Deck都免費提供 Bill Trinen 接受 IGN 的訪問，提到有爭議的《Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour》，在美國的售價為 9.99 美元（新台幣 329 元），並且只有數位版。Bill Trinen 表示他們在為遊戲定價時，會去考慮每一款遊戲的內容和價值，而《Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour》值得這價格，並形容它是一款強大的軟體，裡面有許多精彩的細節。 而這價格也引起許多美國網友討論，懷念起當初前美國任天堂總裁 Reggie Fils-Aimé 還在時，就是建議展示 Wii 功能的《Wii Sports》在美版直接綑綁販售，其他網友也稱：「我不打算買，祝福那些想買的人」、「上 YouTube 看就好了吧，懷疑它是否有重玩的價值」、「一個體驗的東西要 9.99 美金真的是瘋了」、「那些說會買的人，就是任天堂為所欲為的原因」
Forbes
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Nintendo Didn't Price In Trump Tariffs For Switch 2, Justifies $80 ‘Mario Kart World'
Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo is Nintendo, and no, they are not pulling a 'we hear you, we're reversing course' with its recent, hugely controversial pricing of Mario Kart World at $80, with some regions higher than that. Nintendo is now offering various executives for interviews attempting to justify this, but it's unlikely that many fans are going to be satisfied with what they're saying. Here's Nintendo of America's Vice President of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen speaking with IGN: 'I would say it's less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it's more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, and what's the content, and what's the value?' Trinen said. 'But honestly, this is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there's still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they're going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they've ever had.' This is essentially just saying 'this is a really big, good game, so we feel like it's worth $80." I mean yes, obviously we knew that's what they were thinking, but it does not answer key questions. How often are they going to deem a game 'good and big enough' for this price? Now that they're doing this, how might it empower a whole slate of other publishers to start doing the same thing with major releases? No, this may not be a blanket increase to $80 across the industry, but it's crossing a line all the same. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder There's a separate interview with Doug Bowser at Wired where he also addresses the big question that's been asked this week about how Trump's new enormous tariffs might affect Nintendo Switch 2 pricing. Some believe these tariffs may have already been priced into the high $450 price ahead of time, but that's not true. Bowser says that the tariffs 'weren't factored into pricing' before this reveal and says that it is 'actively assessing' the situation which 'creates a challenge' and 'it's something we're going to have to address." If you have to 'address' that, it likely means one of two things: A) Nintendo takes a larger hit than they were planning to on the Switch 2 profit/loss at that $450 price or obviously B) they raise the price of the hardware even further for consumers. Neither are good options, but that's also the situation across countless other industries right now due to how far-reaching these tariffs are, and rivals like Microsoft and Sony may have to do the same thing. Nintendo has still not said when pre-orders may go live for the US, postponed because of these tariffs. They say the release date of June 5 is unchanged, but the longer this goes, the less likely that may be. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Bluesky Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
