Mouse Work is a Nintendo Switch 2 game that Shovel Knight Dig developer Nitrome announced shortly after the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. It's a party game specifically built around the fact that Joy-Con 2 controllers can also be used as mice. There's just one catch: Nitrome doesn't have a Switch 2 development kit yet.
Dev kits are necessary for a game studio to release their game on a platform like Switch 2. Nintendo has reportedly been quite restrictive in distributing Switch 2 development kits prior to its launch this June, which puts indie developers like Nitrome in an awkward situation. Games that get on a new system early are often closely associated with the platform for its lifespan, which can majorly benefit indie titles.
"We recognize that there is an opportunity there if you get something new out of the gate or close to launch, and [if] you use some of the features, there's going to be a decent audience there that wants to try it," studio founder Matthew Annal told me in an interview.
In reality, it's not Nitrome's decision if that gets to happen because a game like Mouse Work can't cross the finish line until Nintendo gets the studio a development kit. Situations like Nitrome's serve as a reminder of just how much power Nintendo holds in what the rollout of Switch 2 and its library of games looks like.
According to Annal, Nitrome first became intrigued at the idea of developing a game for Switch 2 when the team saw the console's January announcement, which hinted that it'd have some form of mouse support. Annal's initial idea was to bring a classic Nitrome Flash game, the Mario Paint-inspired Pest Control, to Switch 2. Annal felt Pest Control's design was too "dated," though, and decided it'd be more creatively fulfilling to build a game for Switch 2 from the ground up. That's when Mouse Work was born.
Mouse Work's mouse-control-driven minigames range from closing pop-up ads to guiding climbers up a mountain. Annal cited Pico Park and Part-Time UFO as major inspirations. Mouse Work is made in the game engine Unity, and Nitrome is currently working within a development environment that allows them to use multiple mice on one desktop. As the X video below shows, they're simply strapping Joy-Cons on top of these mice to test the game's feel for now.
Outside of Drag x Drive, it's one of the only confirmed Switch 2 games to be completely built around the use of mouse controls and the capability of simultaneously using multiple controllers in mouse mode while playing. It's a game that feels solely made for Switch 2, which is why it's shocking to learn that Nitrome had not even contacted Nintendo for a dev kit before announcing it.
While Nitrome has released games like Shovel Knight Dig and Bomb Chicken for Nintendo Switch, Nitrome didn't think they'd be granted a Switch 2 dev kit if they just reached out with a cold call pitch for Mouse Work.
"We thought that if we tried to reach out, there would be no chance that they'd actually get back to us because they'd say we haven't got a project. We thought, 'Let's just get it together, get a video, and aim for just after the next Direct because, for all we know, there might be something about the mouse that's different from what we're assuming'…We thought [that] having something to show would give [Nintendo] more reason to give us a dev kit."
Annal believed there was a chance that Nintendo could have a mouse-themed title for launch and was ultimately relieved when no such games appeared in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. After three months of development without even contacting Nintendo, Nitrome unveiled Mouse Work publicly on April 7 and subsequently reached out for a dev kit.
Mouse Work's trailer did not disclose that Nitrome did not yet have a Switch 2 dev kit, so it got attention like any new Switch 2 game. Unfortunately for Nitrome, Nintendo still has not yet guaranteed the studio a dev kit. Annal has heard back from Nintendo of America, but needs Nintendo of Europe to get the ball rolling so Mouse Work on Switch 2 can become a reality.
"We've made things for Nintendo Switch, so we have some Nintendo contacts. We reached out to them, but most people are [being] really silent. No one wants to get back to you all of a sudden. So maybe they're really busy or maybe they're being told: 'Don't talk to anyone who wants dev kits,'" Annal explained. "I did hear from a couple of people, but they were from the US side and their advice was 'You need to talk to the European side because you're in Europe,' so that wasn't especially helpful."
For now, that's where Mouse Work remains. It's still in active development as Nitrome continues to flesh the experience out with new minigames, colorblind-friendly features, and more. Ultimately, Nintendo must reach back out to Nitrome for Mouse Work to hit Switch 2's ever-so-valuable launch window.
Once the dev kit is in Nitrome's hands, Annal doesn't think it'll cause much of a delay in development. He hopes Nitrome will have a version of Mouse Work to submit "within a few weeks" of getting a dev kit. Annal says Mouse Work could launch as early as July if Nitrome gets dev kits in time, but admits that "it really depends on when we get dev kits."
Much of Mouse Work's appeal comes from the fact that it feels tailor-made for Switch 2, which is why it's a shock to learn that Nitrome does not have a dev kit yet. At some point, the doors for Switch 2 dev kits have to blow wide open, and the Switch 2 eShop can become as packed with indie games as the Switch's eShop currently is. It’s worth remembering that the eShop was similarly restrictive during the early days of Nintendo Switch, resulting in a few key indie titles like Snake Pass and Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! really standing out.
As Nintendo Switch 2 approaches launch, Nintendo is being just as restrictive with indie games again, only allowing select ones like Deltarune on the platform. The power to bring games to Switch 2 is ultimately in Nintendo's hands, even when the game in question feels as tailor-made for the platform as Mouse Work.
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Dev kits are necessary for a game studio to release their game on a platform like Switch 2. Nintendo has reportedly been quite restrictive in distributing Switch 2 development kits prior to its launch this June, which puts indie developers like Nitrome in an awkward situation. Games that get on a new system early are often closely associated with the platform for its lifespan, which can majorly benefit indie titles.
"We recognize that there is an opportunity there if you get something new out of the gate or close to launch, and [if] you use some of the features, there's going to be a decent audience there that wants to try it," studio founder Matthew Annal told me in an interview.
In reality, it's not Nitrome's decision if that gets to happen because a game like Mouse Work can't cross the finish line until Nintendo gets the studio a development kit. Situations like Nitrome's serve as a reminder of just how much power Nintendo holds in what the rollout of Switch 2 and its library of games looks like.
According to Annal, Nitrome first became intrigued at the idea of developing a game for Switch 2 when the team saw the console's January announcement, which hinted that it'd have some form of mouse support. Annal's initial idea was to bring a classic Nitrome Flash game, the Mario Paint-inspired Pest Control, to Switch 2. Annal felt Pest Control's design was too "dated," though, and decided it'd be more creatively fulfilling to build a game for Switch 2 from the ground up. That's when Mouse Work was born.
Mouse Work's mouse-control-driven minigames range from closing pop-up ads to guiding climbers up a mountain. Annal cited Pico Park and Part-Time UFO as major inspirations. Mouse Work is made in the game engine Unity, and Nitrome is currently working within a development environment that allows them to use multiple mice on one desktop. As the X video below shows, they're simply strapping Joy-Cons on top of these mice to test the game's feel for now.
Outside of Drag x Drive, it's one of the only confirmed Switch 2 games to be completely built around the use of mouse controls and the capability of simultaneously using multiple controllers in mouse mode while playing. It's a game that feels solely made for Switch 2, which is why it's shocking to learn that Nitrome had not even contacted Nintendo for a dev kit before announcing it.
While Nitrome has released games like Shovel Knight Dig and Bomb Chicken for Nintendo Switch, Nitrome didn't think they'd be granted a Switch 2 dev kit if they just reached out with a cold call pitch for Mouse Work.
"We thought that if we tried to reach out, there would be no chance that they'd actually get back to us because they'd say we haven't got a project. We thought, 'Let's just get it together, get a video, and aim for just after the next Direct because, for all we know, there might be something about the mouse that's different from what we're assuming'…We thought [that] having something to show would give [Nintendo] more reason to give us a dev kit."
Annal believed there was a chance that Nintendo could have a mouse-themed title for launch and was ultimately relieved when no such games appeared in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. After three months of development without even contacting Nintendo, Nitrome unveiled Mouse Work publicly on April 7 and subsequently reached out for a dev kit.
Mouse Work's trailer did not disclose that Nitrome did not yet have a Switch 2 dev kit, so it got attention like any new Switch 2 game. Unfortunately for Nitrome, Nintendo still has not yet guaranteed the studio a dev kit. Annal has heard back from Nintendo of America, but needs Nintendo of Europe to get the ball rolling so Mouse Work on Switch 2 can become a reality.
"We've made things for Nintendo Switch, so we have some Nintendo contacts. We reached out to them, but most people are [being] really silent. No one wants to get back to you all of a sudden. So maybe they're really busy or maybe they're being told: 'Don't talk to anyone who wants dev kits,'" Annal explained. "I did hear from a couple of people, but they were from the US side and their advice was 'You need to talk to the European side because you're in Europe,' so that wasn't especially helpful."
For now, that's where Mouse Work remains. It's still in active development as Nitrome continues to flesh the experience out with new minigames, colorblind-friendly features, and more. Ultimately, Nintendo must reach back out to Nitrome for Mouse Work to hit Switch 2's ever-so-valuable launch window.
Once the dev kit is in Nitrome's hands, Annal doesn't think it'll cause much of a delay in development. He hopes Nitrome will have a version of Mouse Work to submit "within a few weeks" of getting a dev kit. Annal says Mouse Work could launch as early as July if Nitrome gets dev kits in time, but admits that "it really depends on when we get dev kits."
Much of Mouse Work's appeal comes from the fact that it feels tailor-made for Switch 2, which is why it's a shock to learn that Nitrome does not have a dev kit yet. At some point, the doors for Switch 2 dev kits have to blow wide open, and the Switch 2 eShop can become as packed with indie games as the Switch's eShop currently is. It’s worth remembering that the eShop was similarly restrictive during the early days of Nintendo Switch, resulting in a few key indie titles like Snake Pass and Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! really standing out.
As Nintendo Switch 2 approaches launch, Nintendo is being just as restrictive with indie games again, only allowing select ones like Deltarune on the platform. The power to bring games to Switch 2 is ultimately in Nintendo's hands, even when the game in question feels as tailor-made for the platform as Mouse Work.
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