Recent reports indicate that the eagerly awaited Switch 2, Nintendo's next flagship console, is not expected to launch before April 2025. Meanwhile, Nintendo continues to focus on maximizing the potential of the current Switch model as it nears the end of its lifecycle.
“The Summer of Switch 2” Could Happen Next Year
Developers Reportedly Hope for April/May 2025 Switch 2 Launch
Nintendo's highly anticipated successor to the Switch, dubbed the "Switch 2," is reportedly not expected to launch before April 2025. This insight comes from a recent discussion on the GamesIndustry.biz podcast, where Chris Dring, the head of the media company, shared information directly from game developers.
According to Dring, several developers have been advised not to expect the Switch 2’s release within the current financial year, which ends in March 2025. "No developer I’ve spoken to expects it to be launching in this financial year," Dring stated. "In fact, they’ve been told not to expect it in the financial year. A bunch of people I spoke to hope it’s out in April or May time, still early next year, not late."
Dring also noted that this timing could be strategic to avoid a launch clash with other major releases, such as Rockstar Games' highly anticipated "GTA 6," which is speculated to launch around Fall 2025 (September-November).
Adding to these speculations, journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, speaking on the O X do Controle podcast, suggested that Nintendo might announce the Switch 2 before the end of August this year, as reported by news outlet BGR.
These rumors align with Nintendo's plans to make an announcement regarding the Switch 2 well before the fiscal year ends on March 31, 2025. However, these reports remain unconfirmed as Nintendo has yet to officially comment on the matter. Nintendo has confirmed it will make an official announcement about the Switch’s successor within the current fiscal year, ending in March 2025.
Nintendo Shares and Switch Sales Dip
Despite Decline, Current Model Switch Sales Still Go 'M for M' Year-on-Year
image via Google Finance
In other related news, Nintendo's shares dipped by around 2.3% in Tokyo on August 2 after it reported declining revenue from the current Switch console. Nintendo's Q1 FY2025 Financial Results showed that the Switch segment's hardware and software sales experienced year-on-year declines, with a -46.4% decrease in consolidated sales for its dedicated video game platform. During the quarter, 2.1 million units of the Switch were sold, marking its eighth year on the market. However, for the year ending March 2024, Nintendo sold 15.7 million Switch consoles, surpassing its full-year sales forecast of 13.5 million units.
More indications of where Nintendo currently is at with the Switch
Nintendo also reported that the number of annual playing users for the Nintendo Switch family of systems between July 2023 and June 2024 exceeded 128 million, indicating sustained engagement with the current Switch at the end of its lifecycle. These statistics reflect the "number of Nintendo Accounts, out of all Nintendo Accounts registered to a Nintendo Switch system, that used Nintendo Switch software one or more times during the 12-month data aggregation period."
In its latest financial report, Nintendo reiterated its commitment to "maximizing" both hardware and software sales, even as the highly-anticipated Switch 2 looms on the horizon. The company forecasted to sell 13.5 million units for FY2025. "Going forward, we will continue to work to maximize software sales as well as hardware sales in an environment where many people continue to play Nintendo Switch," the company concluded.
