A new report from Fanbyte, has claimed that Nintendo has been developing a 1-2 Switch sequel tentatively known as Everybody’s 1-2 Switch, though the status of the project is unclear. The report was made after speaking with “multiple sources with knowledge of the product in question”, but did note that things could change.
– The title settled on Everybody’s 1-2 Switch at one point
– The project went through a few variations as the developers struggled with how they could make a 1-2 Switch sequel
– They wanted to release a title that didn’t render the first game moot and stop it from selling
– Inspiration came from Jackbox Games, developers of the Jackbox Party Pack series
– Everybody’s 1-2 Switch had many more players at once as opposed to the original game
– With the use of smartphones, the game could have lobbies as big as 100 players
– Nintendo EPD Group 4 designed a host for the minigames based on international appeal: a bipedal horse that looked like a man wearing a rubber horse mask
– The game’s text simply referred to him as “Horse” because it sounded enough like the English word “Host” that it would come across in different languages
– Minigames would ask players to physically move around the environment for things like Musical Chairs, or use their phone to play Bingo
– One game resembled a virtual version of Spin the Bottle that involved saying something nice about another person
– When playtesting groups received the game, Nintendo received harsh feedback, and many didn’t even want to play through entire rounds
– In the Bingo example, one player would use the Joy-Con to mime digging out a number before reading it off the TV screen, which playtesters reported as tedious
– Main mode, Team Battle Mode, pit at least two teams of players against each other in various minigames
– This mode prominently featured Horse, who would give color commentary during the games
– While games are reworked and some are tested badly, no one expected Everybody’s 1-2 Switch to test quite as badly as it did
– Different trusted employees within Nintendo were raising alarms that the game released as-is would damage the company’s reputation as a great software developer
– Nintendo went ahead with other publisher duties on the game, like printing out the cover art and placing it in the requisite cases for a retail release
– Unclear what will happen now
– Nintendo executives will not be swayed on the idea of a full $60 retail release for the game given how well the first one sold
– Some others within the company have suggested making the game an add-on bonus to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion pack
Fanbyte has stated that it is possible that Nintendo could choose to shelve Everybody’s 1-2 Switch without an official announcement, but the site’s sources believe it will eventually launch “one way or another.”