Developer of Switch 2 Launch Title Revealed by Nintendo

Nintendo fans have finally learned the studio behind the Switch 2 launch title Welcome Tour – a mini-game collection that also serves as an interactive tutorial for the new console, which many argued should have been a free inclusion.

While Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour doesn't credit the developer in-game, the Mario Party studio Nintendo Cube, previously known as NDCube, has now confirmed the project on its updated website.

A Tokyo-based Nintendo subsidiary founded in 2000, Nintendo Cube often manages the company's various mini-game compilations. It developed the middling Wii Party (distinct from the better-received Wii Play, which bundled a Wii Remote), as well as the poorly received Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival for Wii U.

More recently, Nintendo Cube released the solid Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics for the original Switch, followed by the infamous Everybody 1-2 Switch – a low-profile party game sequel that garnered some of Nintendo's worst review scores in years. (IGN's 4/10 review noted: "Everybody 1-2-Switch might be the first party game I've played where I ended up with fewer friends afterwards.")

Nintendo Cube is best known for the Mario Party series, having taken over as its primary developer starting with Mario Party 9 in 2012, and continuing with Mario Party 10, Mario Party Star Rush, Mario Party: The Top 100, Super Mario Party, and Mario Party Superstars.

Nintendo Cube's next release is (take a breath) Super Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, an enhanced Switch 2 version of Super Mario Party Jamboree that utilizes the new console's mouse controls and optional camera peripheral, scheduled for July 24.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Slideshow

View 18 Images

Despite its budget price, Welcome Tour faced criticism for its heavy reliance on mouse-control games and the extensive setup required – needing a camera peripheral, a Switch 2 Charging Grip or Pro Controller, and a 4K TV to experience all features and earn gold medals.

"Even if Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour were the pack-in game it seems destined to be, its charming premise results in a muddled collection of quaint tech demos and dry trivia, presented as an uninspiring completionist checklist," IGN wrote in its Welcome Tour review.