And the nostalgia bomb was dropped with the Super Bowl ad by Nintendo, and fans were surely buzzing the beehive. Paul Rudd, Ant-Man himself, is back again, in an ad for the one with the tagline “SUPER TOGETHER.” What could scream Nintendo Switch 2 hype louder than that?
Back in the ’90s, Rudd belonged to that club which made it legendary for Nintendo’s marketing push to sell the SNES. Thirty years later, he’s everywhere hinting at something real big, although it’s not a clear giveaway in the ad to actually call it a Switch 2-how else would they justify bringing him back for this high-profile spot? Timing is too perfect, especially with all those rumors about the next-gen console reveal later this year.
Pure Nintendo magic, quirky but nostalgic, charming to bits-the ad itself is. Rudd’s deadpan humor fits the brand so bean-like with the hashtag #NintendoSwitch2? Yeah, that one’s not quite subtle. Cue the fans ripping apart each frame for clues, from the futuristic aesthetics to the way Rudd smirks at the camera like he knows something we don’t.
And let’s talk about the history between those two. Nintendo and Rudd have a pretty strange kind of wholesome partnership in commercials for the old SNES. It even filmed a long advertisement series highlighting the super capabilities of the console. Jump into 2024, and here we are-back to square one. It’s brilliant: hitting that millennial nostalgia while teasing a forthcoming age.
So, what’s next? If Nintendo’s had their normal playbook followed in recent past, then this ad is the first domino of the many coming down. Expect full Switch 2 announcement, maybe even a Direct in a couple of months. Long overdue for a successor, Switch is at a slowed pace, just perfect timing. Plus, Rudd’s presence shows that they’re really going to advertise the heck out of this one.
For now, it is just the ad and speculation. But then again, that’s half the fun, right? Well, Nintendo really knows how to build hype, and they seem to have found Paul Rudd-the guy somehow hasn’t ever aged since the Clinton era-to lead the charge.
One thing’s for sure: Switch 2 is coming, and it’s going to be super.
