Nintendo presented its Switch 2 on April 2, 2025. This was a major event on Twitch, with more channels showing the event than any other event in 2025 so far. But Nintendo probably expected a different reaction.
How was the event received on Twitch? Events like the one from Nintendo yesterday are shown on Twitch in the “Special Events” category. The Nintendo Direct on April 2 generated the highest spike in the “broadcasting channels” category since December 2024, when the Game Awards were presented and many new games were showcased (via sullygnome).
A total of 3,665 channels showed the event, of which 216 were in German – during the Game Awards, there were 9,241, but only 83 were in German. From a German perspective, the Game Awards took place in the middle of the night, while the Nintendo Direct was at 3 PM.
At its peak, the event was viewed by 563,000 people on Twitch. In Germany alone, about 53,000 people watched via Twitch.
Video Game Journalist Rants about the Price of Mario Kart
These are the most viewed reactions: Jeff Gerstmann (49) is one of the most important video game journalists in the USA. He has the clip with the most viewers for the Nintendo Direct on Twitch.
For him, the big topic is the pricing policy. Gerstmann is outraged about the suggested retail price of $80 for Mario Kart: “Fuck that,” he exclaims. That’s just too much money, a “crazy amount.” The clip has 83,000 views.
The biggest streamer on Twitch overall, Brit Caedrel, wonders why the Welcome Tour is supposed to be a separate, purchasable game for the Switch 2. He asks: “Paid? How can it be that this is not part of the console?” The clip has 58,000 views and is titled with the word Greedy
(Greedy) (via twitch).
The third clip is again from Gerstmann and revolves around exactly this topic: How the “Welcome Tour” for the Nintendo Switch 2 could be a paid game (via twitch).
The reactions on Twitch thus align with the general impression that many gamers have. The pricing policy overshadows the event and the excitement for many of the games shown by Nintendo. We at MeinMMO have highlighted the problem with Nintendo’s pricing model in an article: That’s why the pricing model of the Nintendo Switch 2 is even worse than you think
