"Switch 2: Summer Launch Rumored for Next Year"

Recent reports have suggested that the eagerly awaited Switch 2, Nintendo's next flagship console, is not expected to launch before April 2025. Meanwhile, Nintendo continues to support 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, known as the "Switch 2," is reportedly not expected to launch before April 2025. This insight was shared by Chris Dring, head of GamesIndustry.biz, during a recent podcast discussion. Dring revealed that he had spoken to several game developers who were 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 suggested that this timing could be a strategic move to avoid competing with other major releases, such as Rockstar Games' highly anticipated "GTA 6," which is rumored to launch in the Fall of 2025.

Adding to the speculation, journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, 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 BGR. These rumors align with Nintendo's plans to make an announcement about the Switch 2 before the fiscal year ends on March 31, 2025. However, these reports remain unconfirmed as Nintendo has not yet made an official statement. Nintendo has confirmed it will announce 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 related news, Nintendo's shares experienced a 2.3% dip in Tokyo on August 2 following a report of declining revenue from the current Switch console. Nintendo's Q1 FY2025 Financial Results indicated a year-on-year decline in hardware and software sales for the Switch segment, 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, demonstrating sustained engagement with the current Switch at the end of its lifecycle. These statistics refer to 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 selling 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.