Sorry fans of the Nintendo shop music circa the Wii era, but we won’t be getting a catchy jingle to shop along to on the Switch 2’s release this summer. And it doesn’t seem likely the music will be coming back in the future either.
According to Nintendo Switch 2 producer Kouichi Kawamoto, there is a very sound (no pun intended) reason for not having music on the storefront. In short, nowadays many of the titles listed on the eShop have videos accompanying them, which showcase gameplay to potential customers, and Nintendo “didn’t want to intrude on that”.
So quite simply, “we don’t have music there” Kawamoto told Polygon, although the Switch 2 producer did add that he still gets the Wii Shopping Channel music stuck in his head. He said he “probably booted the Wii Shopping Channel the most out of any application [on the Wii]”.
But, while we may not be having a little boogie in our seats as we browse the Nintendo Switch 2’s own eShop, it should at least me be more pleasant even if not musical experience compared to what we have now.
“I wanted to make sure that it was a smooth experience,” Kawamoto said of Switch 2’s eShop. “That the scrolling of the list doesn’t stall, that it’s very smooth, pages load fast.”
I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, and we will know for sure on Switch 2’s release. As to when that is, the Switch 2 is launching Thursday 5th June, with a retail price of £395.99 for the console, or £429.99 should you opt for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle.
For more on the console, our Tom has already been hands-on with the Switch 2. You can read his Switch 2 impressions here.