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 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 much-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. Dring mentioned that 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 suggested that this timing could be strategic to avoid competing with major releases like Rockstar Games' "GTA 6," expected around Fall 2025. Additionally, journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, on the O X do Controle podcast, speculated that Nintendo might announce the Switch 2 before the end of August this year, as reported by BGR.
These speculations align with Nintendo's plan to announce the Switch 2 before the fiscal year ends on March 31, 2025. However, Nintendo has yet to confirm these reports, though they have promised an official announcement about the Switch’s successor within the current fiscal year.
Nintendo Shares and Switch Sales Dip
Despite Decline, Current Model Switch Sales Still Go 'M for M' Year-on-Year
image via Google Finance
Nintendo's shares experienced a 2.3% drop in Tokyo on August 2 following a report of declining revenue from the current Switch console. The Q1 FY2025 Financial Results showed a -46.4% decrease in consolidated sales for Nintendo's dedicated video game platform. Despite this, 2.1 million units of the Switch were sold during the quarter, and 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 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. This figure represents 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 Switch 2 looms on the horizon. The company forecasted to sell 13.5 million units for FY2025, stating, "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."
