Why Switch 2 Launch Title Welcome Tour Sold Separately

Nintendo fans have now discovered the developer behind the Switch 2 launch title Welcome Tour—a mini-game collection that also serves as an interactive instruction manual for the new console. Many have argued the game should have been offered for free.

Although the game itself does not credit the studio, Nintendo Cube—formerly known as NDCube and the developer behind the Mario Party series—has updated its website to confirm it developed Welcome Tour.

Nintendo Cube, a Tokyo-based Nintendo subsidiary founded in 2000, frequently oversees the company's mini-game compilation projects. The studio developed the middling Wii Party (not to be confused with the more popular Wii Play, which included a bundled Wii Remote) and the poorly received Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival for Wii U.

More recently, Nintendo Cube released Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics for the original Switch, followed by the notorious Everybody 1-2 Switch—a low-profile party game sequel that earned some of Nintendo’s worst review scores in years. (IGN described it as “possibly the first party game where you end up with fewer friends after playing,” scoring it 4/10.)

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

The studio’s next release is Super Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, an enhanced version of Super Mario Party Jamboree that utilizes the Switch 2’s mouse controls and optional camera accessory. It launches on July 24.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour Slideshow

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Though priced as a budget title, Welcome Tour has drawn criticism for its heavy reliance on mouse-controlled games, and for requiring a camera peripheral, a Switch 2 Charging Grip or Pro Controller, and a 4K TV to access all content and earn gold medals.

In its review, IGN described Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour as “a muddled collection of quaint tech demos and unengaging trivia disguised as a completionist checklist,” suggesting its execution fell short even if it had been bundled with the console.