Nintendo Recruits John Cena To Promote The Switch
By Brad Jones 21 February 2017
Nintendo calls upon World Wrestling Entertainment’s John Cena to help promote the launch of the Switch at an invite-only event scheduled for later this month.
Despite the hype that Nintendo has amassed for its next console, it’s fair to say that the Switch is something of an underdog after the failure of the Wii U. With that in mind, the company has called upon someone who’s well versed in overcoming the odds: 16-time world champion John Cena.
Just a matter of days ago, Cena lost his WWE Championship after being locked in the Elimination Chamber with Bray Wyatt and four other competitors. It remains to be seen whether he will suffer a similarly crushing defeat when he’s locked up with press and YouTube stars inside an “interactive living room space” designed to promote the Switch on February 23.
The invite-only event will kickstart a tour of the country, which will allow members of the public to try out the Switch in Nintendo’s fake living room. On February 27, the Switch comes to the Snowmass ski resort in Aspen, Colorado, before descending on New York City’s Madison Square Park on March 3.
Cena will be playing the minigame collection 1-2-Switch at the February 23 event, according to a report from GameSpot. The game’s madcap array of different activities — including cow-milking, pistol duels, and ball-counting — seems like a good fit for the larger-than-life grappler.
It’s worth noting that 2K has not yet announced whether or not this year’s installment of the WWE2K franchise will be headed to the Switch. In fact, the series hasn’t appeared on a Nintendo console since WWE ’13, which hit the Wii in 2012.
It’s unlikely that Cena is being brought in to the Switch event to announce WWE2K18 for the system — it seems more likely that he’s been booked because he’s a well-known celebrity who appeals to younger audiences. However, given that Nintendo is banking on his star power, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see future WWE games appear on the Switch.
2K was actually one of the first publishers to commit to the console, announcing NBA2K18 with a vague 2017 launch window. Perhaps if that game is a success, the company will consider bringing its other major franchises to the system.
Even if this event doesn’t lead to wrestling games making their return to Nintendo hardware, it’s sure to produce some top-tier GIFs when Cena takes to 1-2-Switch. The man may be a 16-time world champion, but he certainly doesn’t take himself too seriously.
The Switch is set to launch on March 3, 2017.
