Doug Bowser says Nintendo sees no need to bring its games to other platforms

Doug Bowser, former president of Nintendo of America, said Nintendo does not feel the need to bring its games to other platforms. The remarks came during a GamesBeat Next legends panel, which brought together industry veterans to discuss the current state of gaming.

The panel also featured Peter Moore, a former executive at Xbox, Sega and Electronic Arts, and Shawn Layden, former chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios. According to Doug Bowser, the conversation about building consoles and games has always been different at Nintendo, because the software and hardware teams work side by side — a practice in place since the Switch era — tuning each game for the company's hardware at the lowest possible cost. He also pointed out a huge gap between Nintendo's development costs and those of other companies in the industry.

"They want to create, if you will, a Nintendo universe where you can come in and play the content and be a part of that. They don't feel the need, at this point in time, to take it beyond the platform," Doug Bowser said.

Exclusivity against the multiplatform tide

The remarks contrast with the moves by Xbox and PlayStation, which have expanded their games to other platforms in recent years, while Nintendo keeps its biggest titles exclusive to its own consoles. The strategy is backed by strong numbers: the Nintendo Switch 2 has already surpassed 26 million units sold, a result that supports the closed-ecosystem model defended by Bowser.

It is worth noting that this is a statement from a former executive, not an official Nintendo announcement: Bowser stepped down as president of Nintendo of America on December 31, 2025, after more than a decade at the company, and joined Hasbro's board of directors in January 2026. Nintendo has issued no official statement on the matter.

Featured image: Doug Bowser at the Nintendo Switch 2 launch event at the Nintendo store in New York City, on 4 June 2025. Photo by SWinxy, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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By Muse