Nintendo has shared new behind-the-scenes details about the development of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, confirming that the game was originally built for the original Nintendo Switch before the team shifted development to Nintendo Switch 2.
The revelation comes from a developer interview published in the latest issue of Nintendo Dream, featuring associate producer Nobuo Matsumiya, senior producer Etsunobu Ebisu, director Masahiro Yamamoto, and producer Hisashi Nogami.
According to the interview, the hardware transition happened after Nintendo informed the team about the upcoming Switch 2.
Why Nintendo Changed Yoshi’s Development to Switch 2
During the interview, senior producer Etsunobu Ebisu explained that the project did not begin as a Switch 2 title. Instead, the team initially targeted Nintendo Switch before changing direction. He said,
“We started developing for the [original] Switch at first. Receiving word that the Switch 2 was going to be released, we changed course midway. If we were going to release a game, we thought to develop it for the latest hardware.”
The comments, originally published in Nintendo Dream, offer one of the clearest explanations yet of the game’s production timeline.
The interview also revealed that longtime Nintendo designer Takashi Tezuka helped shape the project during its early planning stages. However, his responsibilities eventually shifted to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, prompting Hisashi Nogami to take over as producer.
Despite the leadership change, Nintendo and developer Good-Feel continued refining the project around the core strengths that have defined Yoshi’s standalone adventures for years.
Rather than building the game around a specific visual theme, director Masahiro Yamamoto explained that the team first focused on Yoshi himself and how players interact with the character. Matsumiya added that discussions centered on preserving the franchise’s relaxed pace, emphasizing exploration instead of time pressure.
As he explained, unlike the Super Mario series, Yoshi games remove strict time limits so players can freely discover secrets and enjoy each stage at their own speed. Those design priorities became the foundation for the final game.
The latest development details also complement recent comments from Shigeru Miyamoto, who revealed in a Famitsu interview that Yoshi and the Mysterious Book entered development after Nintendo decided Yoshi would appear in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, highlighting the company’s growing effort to align games with its expanding entertainment projects.
