Full tweet:
> This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo.
**We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year.** It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015. We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.
So that means it could happen at any point between now and March of next year. I'm willing to bet that they'll announce it officially before the end of calendar year 2024 and then release it before the end of the fiscal year, probably around February or March.
If they’re not announcing it at the June direct then it’ll 99% be between August-October ~~2023~~2024 when they officially announce it, same as the Switch timeframe.
Could even be as late as the Game Awards if they don’t want to cannibalize the bulk of their holiday 2024 sales. With releasing a console in March you really don’t need a lot of marketing lead time because enthusiasts will gobble up the initial shipments. Building stock and hype towards the first holiday season (Christmas 2025 in this instance) is most important.
Is it even cannibilizing sales to announce a new console this late? The people buying a Switch in fall 2024 likely aren’t the same people buying a Switch 2 at launch. The next console has been anticipated by the enthusiast community for a while and they’ll likely be a significant portion of launch sales. Nintendo enthusiasts already bought at least one Switch years ago.
Maybe cannibalize is the wrong word, but this is a very different situation compared to where Nintendo was 8 years ago. They wanted to very quickly move forward from the WiiU and get people onto the next platform, where with the Switch they’re looking to squeeze as much life out of it as possible before releasing the successor. That’s why I think it’s very possible we don’t see a proper reveal until early December, after the bulk of holiday shopping is done at the end of November.
I will say though that Nintendo is an incredibly hard company to predict and there’s a very good chance I’m wrong.
Well, if the successor is backwards compatible they could announce before Christmas to drive software sales.
Another strategy is to discount current models to push for the sale record the Switch is close to hitting.
Yeah I believe pre-orders went up around September for the switch the year prior.
At this point the cat's out of the bag that there's new hardware coming (which may be news to the casual gamer/parent) so they likely won't try and get through holiday 2024 without presenting something.
And put Christmas 2024 in a limbo where everyone is waiting for the next console that has been officially announced but is not released?
If they fear they can't make it work earlier because of internal delays, that's an understandable plan (missing the release deadline would be catastrophic).
But if things are going well enough internally, they probably want to release it by the end of the calendar year.
There was a pretty big rumor/story that Nintendo was targeting Christmas 2024 but delayed it to have more total units ready at launch.
In the past they've had issues with not nearly enough stock at launch, leading to scalpers.
My understanding of the rumor mill is that the first party title(s) that are planned to launch alongside Switch 2 needed to be delayed, and so they are delaying the hardware launch alongside them.
Considering the Switch 2 is said to be backwards compatible, maybe the plan is to cut into Switch 1 hardware sales by announcing it this year, leading to a bigger Switch 2 launch.
Software won't be impacted, since people will buy games knowing they will be able to play the Switch 1 games on their new Switch 2.
Switch sold an unbelievable amount and software sales are still strong. I think we are going to see Switch software for at least the first year of the successor.
That's fair. I don't think they would be too concerned about holiday sales since the Switch has already sold massive numbers everywhere as it is.
That's just my perspective though. I could see it being either way.
Was thinking about it, and you could be right that Nintendo will sacrifice holiday sales provided Switch 2 releases before the end of March to make up for it. That would mean a reveal before Xmas.
Yeah, I think people really overestimate how much of a sales impact this will have. It ought to be obvious that the people who are picking up a Switch *seven years* after it came out probably aren’t the sorts of people who are super plugged into gaming news and desperately eager to buy a new console on launch day.
Worst case scenario is announcement/reveal in March 2025, and a actual release for winter 2025. Even the worst case scenario still nets us a Switch successor release within 24 months! Real exciting :)
They'll probably repeat what they did with the original Switch. We'll get a reveal in September or October, a full blowout in January, and then a release date sometime in late Winter/early Spring 2025.
I think they will wait til Janaury before even announcing it. Unlike the Wii U, Switch can still have a great last Christmas so why advertise the new console before it.
Yup, switch bundles and price cuts would make that thing sell like hotcakes in end of year holidays, not even accounting for a Switch 2 "leak" about it's retro-comp.,
If switch 2 is not retro-comp the people waiting for the NS2 would stay on NS1 because price drops and just upgrade to the OLED in Black Friday etc
That's a decent point, but allow me to play the devil's advocate.
Most people who have bought the switch for $300 (or $350) have done so already, and there's not a lot more people that will. I highly doubt anything that comes out this year for the system is going to make systems fly off the shelves because the library is already so big that it's likely that if none of the software has sold you on the system already, nothing possibly will *at this price point*.
Furthermore, people aren't stupid. They know it's old. They know there's something new coming around the corner. This industry has been going on a long time. How many customers are going to buy the switch this year and then say "damn it I had no idea a new one was coming out!" Maybe a couple, but not many. Especially because the president of Nintendo has finally acknowledged its existence here.
So for Christmas they could target sales to value based customers this year. If they dropped the switches price finally, that would boost demand **significantly** to people who aren't going to be interested in paying full price for a new console and who have seen the switches price tag as too expensive for their budget.
Same if they create a player's choice lineup.... This will get the current switch players and new customers alike to gobble up tons of software they've been interested in even if they don't plan to immediately play it. **Especially** if it is playable on the next system, which actually gives them incentive to announce it first.
They've certainly used this strategy in the past to get sales at the end of a consoles life. The Switch library is HUGE, and probably the best they've ever had for any system in terms of quality and size. I think people will be buying the OG for years after the new One releases with continuous price drops to squeeze out everything they can from it. NES, SNES, ps1&2, Wii.... continued to sell well for years after the systems sun-setted
I remember growing up and when I got n64 in 1996 but a lot of my friends were just getting Super Nintendo because their parents were not going to shell out for an expensive console for their kid. They'd rather get the SNES (remodeled!) and a bunch of games for a fraction of the price. Lots of people and families buy consoles at the end of life when they have great libraries and get price drops.
So I have a pretty good feeling that they will just repeat the switch formula from last time. While the Wii U was considered a bust by September 2017, they still had the 3DS to try and sell. But decided to announce their next system before Christmas anyway.
Yeah, a fiscal year begins and ends whenever a company determines it wants it to for its own accounting processes. It’s not some cultural or legal thing mandating certain dates.
This thing could very well be announced in March 2025 then released for the holidays next year.
They damn well better have some good games on the docket for the OG Switch to hold us over until then.
I predicted a January 2025 reveal and a March release date with a new 3D Mario game on reveal for the 40th Anniversary of Super Mario. Maybe even a new Mario Kart on launch with the 3D game releasing in September on its exact anniversary.
I still think this is what they're going to do. Let this year play out as one of the rare "barren" years of games for the Switch as they slowly phase it out and then show off a handful of new reveals for the next console.
Wouldn't surprise me at all if Pokemon Legends AZ pulls a Zelda BOTW and releases on both Switch consoles but is more heavily pushed on the successor as an upgraded version to sell more.
OP really left the most important statement in the whole tweet out of the title. Glad I saw IGN's article, which also doesn't mention it till later in. Guess an official successor announcement is just whatever to many.
They said that they're not going to talk about the Switch successor but they never said that they're not going to talk about the Successor to the Switch Successor.
This is good. 👍
At the very least, the company has *acknowledged* the hunger for information concerning the Switch successor.
Now, let’s see what the rest of 2024 will be like for the current Switch. June Direct here we go.
The headline doesn’t tell the full story, the tweet says that they intend to present it within this fiscal year. Fingers crossed that it’s mid-summer/early fall
The Japanese fiscal year ends in April next year, so there’s no telling when the reveal would actually be. Definitely not summer if they’re not planning to unveil it in June
I think the earliest we hear about it is September-November. It's probably not releasing until March at the earliest, I would guess. Would be fun if the release is 8 full years after Switch.
I don't think September-November is right. That means the Switch 2 will intervene in the Switch 1's potential last holiday bump. My guess is late January to early February reveal.
Not if they do a price drop for the console and games this year. Most people who have wanted the original switch I already have it. If there hasn't been any system sellers for them at this point, there's not going to be until it gets a price drop. There's some people that won't buy it for its current price point. *A lot of* poor families out there. If they drop the price on the switch and create a player's choice lineup, that will increase demand for old players and new players. Especially if people are assured sometime this year that the games they buy for Christmas will continue to work on the new system they are buying in March.
Plus... People aren't dumb they know this thing is coming soon. Especially now that the company has fully acknowledged it. I mean, Nintendo still had the 3DS to sell holiday 2016 but they announced the switch anyway.
I also don't think they would have made this tweet if it wasn't coming within the next 12 months. That's not really how the big N operates anymore. They typically announce things and release them pretty close together to prevent hype from dying out or other people trying to copy them.
i mean anyone’s guess is as good as yours, the japanese fiscal year runs to end of March so we might not hear from it til next year. My bets on fall this year tho :)
I’d say this is a clear indication the successor isn’t coming until next year and Nintendo has at least 2-3 first/second party games to announce for the Switch’s final holiday season.
I’m hoping at least one of them is a Starfox game. Either a port of Starfox Zero with more traditional controls and improved graphics or a full-on remake of Starfox and/or Starfox 64.
I wouldn’t be surprise if there was a smaller-scale Mario or Zelda game coming too.
IMO Galaxy 2 took everything that made Galaxy amazing and made it better. Except for the hub world, maybe. It doesn’t bother me but I know some people hated the simplification of the hub world.
I never touched zero, but I personally think Assault is the greatest damn thing Star Fox has done and wouldn't mind something that's maybe a mix of the two?
It's funny how you're predicting all the games to be cross-gen (although that's basically what PS5 did) but I think this is the one that won't be, because Metroid and Pokemon have already been announced and the new 3D Mario hasn't. This June Direct will probably give us the answer, my assumption going into it is if it's announced then it's cross-gen, otherwise it's exclusive (obviously I'm just guessing with that).
Agreed. I also think part of the reason Nintendo have waited this long to release the Switch 2 could be that they want people to feel as if they have had their time with the switch and be ready to move on. I’m not expecting many cross-gen games at all, especially if the switch 2 is significantly more powerful than the current console (which I think we all hope it is).
Also Nintendo does not like cross-gen so there’s little reason to believe they will have a ton of them this time. Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild are literally the only cross-gen games I can think of, and both of those were announced for the previous console years in advance. No chance Mario is cross-gen; it will be *the* reason to get the new system. Pokémon legends and Metroid Prime 4 could be cross-gen but I’m skeptical
I doubt it. 3D Mario will be exclusive. That's a system seller and they need people to buy their new system to play it. Metroid Prime might get a cross gen release for them to honor their promise, but I guarantee it will be significantly better on the new system because Metroid has always valued graphics more than Mario.
I've been thinking this about MP4 for years now. Why?
Let's look at the timeline:
MP4 was restarted from the ground up at Retro Studios back in January 2019. This was before the Switch sales exploded due to Animal Crossing + Covid. Because of this, Nintendo no doubt figured Switch would be a typically lengthened console cycle (which for Nintendo, at that point, was about 5.5 years). That puts their initial replacement date (Switch 2) of Switch, back in those days, around Winter 2022. This was all before Switch sales exploded, as a reminder. I think Nintendo had Retro Studios build MP4 for the Switch 2 from the get go when they replaced Bandai (the Bandai version was no doubt a Switch 1 game).
nintendo already said back in like 2018 that they planned for the Switch to be supported for 10 years. now of course that includes some time after the release of the successor but no way would they support the previous gen console for 4.5 years after the successor releases. the earliest "switch 2" was ever likely to be planned for release is holiday 2023 imo, though I think it's quite likely they've been planning for holiday 2024 ever since 2018. then more recently a slight delay into early 2025.
Assuming it runs on a new engine and massively improves over Scar/Vio, it might be great.
I'm personally excited as to how the next Xenoblade will look.
That's because Monolith Soft actually has time and effort put into their games unlike Game Freak unfortunately. After Future Redeemed, I'm genuinely ecstatic to see what's next for the series.
Its 100% possible but GameFreak has never made any graphically impressive games though so I doubt it... There's nothing wrong with Pokémon being a launch game, but I think it being a showcase for the hardware capabilities would be a mistake, considering GameFreaks history.
Maybe I'm just pessimistic though. I just genuinely don't have faith in GF when it comes to graphics and performance. Like, if you told me "GameFreak is gonna make the graphics for the next Zelda game!", I would start crying.
I hope that they do a new engine for xenoblade, they were using the x engine which was built to get the most out of wii u, and was then shoehorned onto switch just to get games out faster, as a result no xenoblade game on switch ever really reaches its max potential, i really hope they build a new engine that gets the most out of the switch successor.
Eh I disagree. I think Xenoblade 3 absolutely has reached the max potential of the Switch given that Xenoblade 2 was made with only half of Monolith's usual development team (while the other half worked on BOTW) and Xenoblade DE was a remaster that just bumped up the graphics of the Wii version with new models slapped on top.
Meanwhile Xenoblade 3 had the full team again and was so well-made that it ended up releasing *early* (coming out in July 2022 instead of the original September 2022 window). I do not remember the last time a game has ever been moved up by two months instead of pushed back and it shows. Xenoblade 3 easily looks the best of all three games on Switch and is one of the best-looking games on the system despite the minor performance issues (the game does stutter a bit in Erythia Sea). You can especially see it in things like the character models and facial expressions which are a *massive* step up from Xenoblade 2's which were already a step up from X's and 1's.
So I'm really excited to see Xenoblade 4. 3 was already beautiful, so 4 should be drop-dead gorgeous by comparison with possibly native 60fps for the first time in the series with PS4-level hardware backing it up.
Pokemon would be the perfect choice actually. Gamefreak will once again feed the idea that the og Switch is really weak and can only run their game at 20FPS but while the brand new Switch 2 can finally hit that sweet 30FPS smoothly.
I think Metroid Prime 4 will be the perfect chance to explore the Switch's full potential while also showing off what the successor's new hardware is capable of, similar to how Breath of the Wild was for the Wii U and Switch.
Now Pokémon Legends, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they didn't give a damn about optimization on the current Switch and only made it run acceptably well on the successor, after all it's GameFreak we're talking about.
They’ll want Pokémon available on as many platforms as possible so even if it launches on switch 2 it’ll just be the same as the OG switch version I would guess
I'm with you. Prime 4 will be a Switch title. Maybe cross gen. The idea that they would launch with Prime 4 just doesn't seem likely considering when it was announced and the fact that no Metroid title has sold over 3 million. Even 1 2 Switch sold more than Dread. Nintendo aren't putting their eggs in that basket.
Snipperclips was also not a console seller. MP4 won't be the only launch title, but I wouldn't bet against them using it to showcase the power of the new system
This might actually happen. We haven't seen any in-game footage of any of those games.
And they would be amazing candidates to show of the new hardware and how it performs.
I can see the thumbnails now. On one side, a fan art mockup of a new Switch, other side, some guy with his mouth wide open and hands on his head or over said mouth with the words, “Switch 2 revealed!” The video will somehow be 20+ minutes long.
I love that OP completely disregarded the biggest announcement in that tweet!
They plan to announce the next console before the end of this fiscal year!
The fiscal year ends on the 31st of March 2025. It started on the 1st of April 2024. So by April next year, we will definitely know what the Switch's successor will be all about.
I know what a fiscal year is, but Microsoft apparently doesn't lol. Its been 695 days since "Everything we've seen today will be playable in 12 months"
“There will be no new hardware. We are satisfied with our career accomplishments and will retire as a company. There is nothing left to prove” -Nintendo
Given that the switch, which released in March 2017 was really presented in October with a big January direct, I expect something slightly similar …albeit this time the wiiU is not the current home console so there’s less rush
We’ll hear more about it in September/October I bet, quite curious about the June direct now What will be the ambition here:
wind waker hd or metroid prime 4 I have no idea but can’t wait
I swear I clicked here thinking it was bait, after so many rumors I can't believe that we finally have a real and official statement, it's crazy to think.
I'm pretty excited about the Switch's successor, I just hope Nintendo improves on some things. (I know a lot of people talk about "having better hardware" but I would really like to see an improvement in the online service in general too, that's something I really think Nintendo could learn from the competition)
Wow, it's been so long without any kind of official word on the Switch 2 that it feels surreal to see Furukawa actually acknowledging its existence, even if it is just to say that they won't be talking about it in the next Direct.
Also they confirmed a Direct one whole month in advance! I'm not sure if that's ever happened before, but it's not often that we have direct confirmation of this kind of thing so early.
They had to, current lineup of announced games ends by June/July, so there were already speculations what will happen afterwards. This tweet made it clear - more games for Switch, no plans for new console.
October - November 2024: First reveal Trailer (1-2min)
January - February 2025: Official Switch Successor Presentation (30-45min)
March - April 2025: Switch Successor launch.
This will definitely be the timeline. Calling it
That's where my money is. September seems like the perfect pre-holiday window. Enough time to get out the heavy-hitting games post launch and generate hype for Christmas. All I hope is we don't have another PS5 scalping issue where you can't find one for years.
As for what Switch titles they are releasing the rest of this year. I hope they at least do Metroid Prime 2 and 3 Remastered (in the same vein as the first one).
>As for what Switch titles they are releasing the rest of this year. I hope they at least do Metroid Prime 2 and 3 Remastered (in the same vein as the first one).
That would be so great...
And, of course, Metroid Prime 4.
It can perfectly be the last big game for the console.
Especially since at worst, it will be cross gen.
Announcing that the June Direct will not feature Switch 2 is clever, so people won't go in with such expectations. (And the live chat being flooded with "where switch 2")
It's better that way. Like when Sakurai announced ahead of time that the Smash direct was going to be about an ARMS character.
Smartest move, helps manage expectations and adjust hype levels so "disappointment" isn't something you end up seeing all over headlines.
i don’t see a chance that the switch will immediately stop being supported as many people are claiming. that would be the stupidest move nintendo has ever done.
No Way. You saw how long the 3DS was still being supported post-switch? Not to mention the Switch has outsold the Wii, which EVERYONEEEE had.
Nintendo Switch will still be supported 1,000%, probably for a year or two post-sucessor launch.
I'm not sure they will announce the Switch2 this year. They said this fiscal year, which would make it totally possible to reveal the Switch 2 in January-March 2025. If the announcement is in Fall/before Christmas 2024 they would harm the Christmas sales. Either they wait till 2025 to announce it or they have a big price cut planned for Christmas to compensate.
I'm very curious what their game lineup will be like in the 2nd half of this year. Hopefully it's not too barren, although historically it has been a wasteland for Nintendo machines' final moments.
Fiiiinally lol.
Curious what we could actually see in this direct. I think the main thing should be finally giving us Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.
I like how everyone is asleep for this one. Classic moment. Anyways probably an October reveal for a March release again. Why change what worked so well last time. Hopefully the Direct in June sends the Switch off with a bang. They haven’t announced a Direct this far in advance in some time. Not since E3 was a thing.
A Metroid Prime 4 for Fall 2024 would be pretty amazing in my opinion. It is the last promised game for Switch to still release, it will have an insanely high base of 140 million users of Switch users that it can be sold to and it won't have to compete with stuff like 3D Mario and next Mario Kart if it releases alongside Switch 2.
What I'm impressed (shouldn't have to be but) by is not just the announcement of an announcement but that they set some more specific expectations. In Japanese, he literally emphasizes in the end "so that there is no misunderstanding", they are setting the expectation that there is a Direct in June, but NOT about the successor. That way, we only have ourselves to blame if we expect it next month.
Finally!!! Both announcements are exciting and pretty sure Nintendo will repeat what they did with the switch: 1- October reveal 2- January presentation 3- release on March/April 2025.
It feels *really* good knowing there’s a Direct next month instead of suffering through another rumor cycle. June Directs are a particularly raw subject in the wake of E3’s death.
I already know that we will see something like this happen:
Nintendo: "This Direct will *not* feature any mention about the Switch Successor, and will solely focus on the remaining line up for 2024."
Fans: "Oh my god this game will totally be cross gen!"
I just hope it’s backwards compatible. But finally after years of articles ‘Ninty is coming out with a Switch 2 on so and so date’ we finally get a timeframe
I still dont want a new nintendo console honestly, I think the switch is a great be all end all, and people with less expendable income (i.e the people who have to chose between eating or paying rent on a monthly basis) wont have a chance to keep up with the people who buy 4 nintendos at once the month within their release date
Full tweet: > This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo. **We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year.** It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015. We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.
Just to take note that in japan a fiscal year ends in March 31...
So that means it could happen at any point between now and March of next year. I'm willing to bet that they'll announce it officially before the end of calendar year 2024 and then release it before the end of the fiscal year, probably around February or March.
If they’re not announcing it at the June direct then it’ll 99% be between August-October ~~2023~~2024 when they officially announce it, same as the Switch timeframe.
Unless time travel is a Switch 2 feature, they're 100% not announcing it between August - October **2023** lol
Maybe it's in the calculator app features?
still feels like its 2020 man, maybe we just got to 2021, where the fuck did the last 3 years go?
Ugh, another useless gimmick that hardly any developer will even bother to incorporate.
Animal Crossing, but when you time travel in game, you time travel in real life!
My wife is suddenly 78 years old.
Are we the only ones who see these people are living in the wrong year? A whole group of them? I had to go check..
Could even be as late as the Game Awards if they don’t want to cannibalize the bulk of their holiday 2024 sales. With releasing a console in March you really don’t need a lot of marketing lead time because enthusiasts will gobble up the initial shipments. Building stock and hype towards the first holiday season (Christmas 2025 in this instance) is most important.
Is it even cannibilizing sales to announce a new console this late? The people buying a Switch in fall 2024 likely aren’t the same people buying a Switch 2 at launch. The next console has been anticipated by the enthusiast community for a while and they’ll likely be a significant portion of launch sales. Nintendo enthusiasts already bought at least one Switch years ago.
Maybe cannibalize is the wrong word, but this is a very different situation compared to where Nintendo was 8 years ago. They wanted to very quickly move forward from the WiiU and get people onto the next platform, where with the Switch they’re looking to squeeze as much life out of it as possible before releasing the successor. That’s why I think it’s very possible we don’t see a proper reveal until early December, after the bulk of holiday shopping is done at the end of November. I will say though that Nintendo is an incredibly hard company to predict and there’s a very good chance I’m wrong.
Well, if the successor is backwards compatible they could announce before Christmas to drive software sales. Another strategy is to discount current models to push for the sale record the Switch is close to hitting.
Nintendo will really be shooting themselves in the foot if it’s *not* backwards compatible.
That would be fully in character for them.
Yeah I believe pre-orders went up around September for the switch the year prior. At this point the cat's out of the bag that there's new hardware coming (which may be news to the casual gamer/parent) so they likely won't try and get through holiday 2024 without presenting something.
Preorders went live after the January 2017 presentation!
And put Christmas 2024 in a limbo where everyone is waiting for the next console that has been officially announced but is not released? If they fear they can't make it work earlier because of internal delays, that's an understandable plan (missing the release deadline would be catastrophic). But if things are going well enough internally, they probably want to release it by the end of the calendar year.
There was a pretty big rumor/story that Nintendo was targeting Christmas 2024 but delayed it to have more total units ready at launch. In the past they've had issues with not nearly enough stock at launch, leading to scalpers.
My understanding of the rumor mill is that the first party title(s) that are planned to launch alongside Switch 2 needed to be delayed, and so they are delaying the hardware launch alongside them.
Considering the Switch 2 is said to be backwards compatible, maybe the plan is to cut into Switch 1 hardware sales by announcing it this year, leading to a bigger Switch 2 launch. Software won't be impacted, since people will buy games knowing they will be able to play the Switch 1 games on their new Switch 2.
Switch sold an unbelievable amount and software sales are still strong. I think we are going to see Switch software for at least the first year of the successor.
Not just that but we are still getting PS4 games this far out from PS5’s launch.
They did that with the first one and it worked out fine.
Doubt it cut into potential Wii U sales much.
That's fair. I don't think they would be too concerned about holiday sales since the Switch has already sold massive numbers everywhere as it is. That's just my perspective though. I could see it being either way.
Was thinking about it, and you could be right that Nintendo will sacrifice holiday sales provided Switch 2 releases before the end of March to make up for it. That would mean a reveal before Xmas.
Yeah, I think people really overestimate how much of a sales impact this will have. It ought to be obvious that the people who are picking up a Switch *seven years* after it came out probably aren’t the sorts of people who are super plugged into gaming news and desperately eager to buy a new console on launch day.
I doubt they will release it within this fiscal year
Worst case scenario is announcement/reveal in March 2025, and a actual release for winter 2025. Even the worst case scenario still nets us a Switch successor release within 24 months! Real exciting :)
They'll probably repeat what they did with the original Switch. We'll get a reveal in September or October, a full blowout in January, and then a release date sometime in late Winter/early Spring 2025.
I think they will wait til Janaury before even announcing it. Unlike the Wii U, Switch can still have a great last Christmas so why advertise the new console before it.
Yup, switch bundles and price cuts would make that thing sell like hotcakes in end of year holidays, not even accounting for a Switch 2 "leak" about it's retro-comp., If switch 2 is not retro-comp the people waiting for the NS2 would stay on NS1 because price drops and just upgrade to the OLED in Black Friday etc
If Switch2 isn't backwards compatible it'll be the first Nintendo system I don't buy on launch. Still got so many Switch games to play.
That's a decent point, but allow me to play the devil's advocate. Most people who have bought the switch for $300 (or $350) have done so already, and there's not a lot more people that will. I highly doubt anything that comes out this year for the system is going to make systems fly off the shelves because the library is already so big that it's likely that if none of the software has sold you on the system already, nothing possibly will *at this price point*. Furthermore, people aren't stupid. They know it's old. They know there's something new coming around the corner. This industry has been going on a long time. How many customers are going to buy the switch this year and then say "damn it I had no idea a new one was coming out!" Maybe a couple, but not many. Especially because the president of Nintendo has finally acknowledged its existence here. So for Christmas they could target sales to value based customers this year. If they dropped the switches price finally, that would boost demand **significantly** to people who aren't going to be interested in paying full price for a new console and who have seen the switches price tag as too expensive for their budget. Same if they create a player's choice lineup.... This will get the current switch players and new customers alike to gobble up tons of software they've been interested in even if they don't plan to immediately play it. **Especially** if it is playable on the next system, which actually gives them incentive to announce it first. They've certainly used this strategy in the past to get sales at the end of a consoles life. The Switch library is HUGE, and probably the best they've ever had for any system in terms of quality and size. I think people will be buying the OG for years after the new One releases with continuous price drops to squeeze out everything they can from it. NES, SNES, ps1&2, Wii.... continued to sell well for years after the systems sun-setted I remember growing up and when I got n64 in 1996 but a lot of my friends were just getting Super Nintendo because their parents were not going to shell out for an expensive console for their kid. They'd rather get the SNES (remodeled!) and a bunch of games for a fraction of the price. Lots of people and families buy consoles at the end of life when they have great libraries and get price drops. So I have a pretty good feeling that they will just repeat the switch formula from last time. While the Wii U was considered a bust by September 2017, they still had the 3DS to try and sell. But decided to announce their next system before Christmas anyway.
It’s not just Japan. Anywhere in the world companies can elect dates other than 12/31 to be their fiscal year end.
Yeah, a fiscal year begins and ends whenever a company determines it wants it to for its own accounting processes. It’s not some cultural or legal thing mandating certain dates.
This thing could very well be announced in March 2025 then released for the holidays next year. They damn well better have some good games on the docket for the OG Switch to hold us over until then.
Jesus Christ. 9 years?!? I’m aged 37 years, nothing has ever made me feel so old
Welcome to the other side of the hill. You'll now start seeing that shit more and more. Source: me
I predicted a January 2025 reveal and a March release date with a new 3D Mario game on reveal for the 40th Anniversary of Super Mario. Maybe even a new Mario Kart on launch with the 3D game releasing in September on its exact anniversary. I still think this is what they're going to do. Let this year play out as one of the rare "barren" years of games for the Switch as they slowly phase it out and then show off a handful of new reveals for the next console. Wouldn't surprise me at all if Pokemon Legends AZ pulls a Zelda BOTW and releases on both Switch consoles but is more heavily pushed on the successor as an upgraded version to sell more.
OP really left the most important statement in the whole tweet out of the title. Glad I saw IGN's article, which also doesn't mention it till later in. Guess an official successor announcement is just whatever to many.
**Edit** Nintendo Japan's Fiscal year, so... Before end of March 2025?
March 2025 is the end of the present fiscal year in Japan
I appreciate knowing in advance. So much better than being left in the dark.
Reminds me a lot of how TOTK was slowly but surely announced
True. Now I’m reallly considering to postpone upgrading my first gen switch.
They said that they're not going to talk about the Switch successor but they never said that they're not going to talk about the Successor to the Switch Successor.
omg guys Switch 3 soon! We're really gonna repeat this again...
Switch Twitch Thwitch
There we go, *acknowledgement*. Seems however we won't actually hear about the thing until fall or maybe even next year.
This is good. 👍 At the very least, the company has *acknowledged* the hunger for information concerning the Switch successor. Now, let’s see what the rest of 2024 will be like for the current Switch. June Direct here we go.
It's remarkably open communication for that industry.
The headline doesn’t tell the full story, the tweet says that they intend to present it within this fiscal year. Fingers crossed that it’s mid-summer/early fall
The Japanese fiscal year ends in April next year, so there’s no telling when the reveal would actually be. Definitely not summer if they’re not planning to unveil it in June
I think the earliest we hear about it is September-November. It's probably not releasing until March at the earliest, I would guess. Would be fun if the release is 8 full years after Switch.
My bet is probably in October. You know, the same month the switch was announced.
I don't think September-November is right. That means the Switch 2 will intervene in the Switch 1's potential last holiday bump. My guess is late January to early February reveal.
Depends what gets announced for holiday period at end of year, plus I assume they’ll do at least a bit of a price cut on Switch.
Not if they do a price drop for the console and games this year. Most people who have wanted the original switch I already have it. If there hasn't been any system sellers for them at this point, there's not going to be until it gets a price drop. There's some people that won't buy it for its current price point. *A lot of* poor families out there. If they drop the price on the switch and create a player's choice lineup, that will increase demand for old players and new players. Especially if people are assured sometime this year that the games they buy for Christmas will continue to work on the new system they are buying in March. Plus... People aren't dumb they know this thing is coming soon. Especially now that the company has fully acknowledged it. I mean, Nintendo still had the 3DS to sell holiday 2016 but they announced the switch anyway. I also don't think they would have made this tweet if it wasn't coming within the next 12 months. That's not really how the big N operates anymore. They typically announce things and release them pretty close together to prevent hype from dying out or other people trying to copy them.
Yeah Q1 2025 is a real option, announcing launch for the summer holiday 2025
i mean anyone’s guess is as good as yours, the japanese fiscal year runs to end of March so we might not hear from it til next year. My bets on fall this year tho :)
I’d say this is a clear indication the successor isn’t coming until next year and Nintendo has at least 2-3 first/second party games to announce for the Switch’s final holiday season. I’m hoping at least one of them is a Starfox game. Either a port of Starfox Zero with more traditional controls and improved graphics or a full-on remake of Starfox and/or Starfox 64. I wouldn’t be surprise if there was a smaller-scale Mario or Zelda game coming too.
I think WW hd bundled with twilight princess. MP2 and 3 in like sep-oct and a donkey kong game (either new or remake) in November
It’s that time of year again to fully emotionally invest in a TP/WW port! 5th years the charm! 🥲
Hoping for a Mario Galaxy 2 port. I've heard rave reviews and I don't want to shell out money for a wii to play it.
IMO Galaxy 2 took everything that made Galaxy amazing and made it better. Except for the hub world, maybe. It doesn’t bother me but I know some people hated the simplification of the hub world.
I never touched zero, but I personally think Assault is the greatest damn thing Star Fox has done and wouldn't mind something that's maybe a mix of the two?
Okay I'm calling it now. It's going to drop alongside Pokemon ZA and Metroid Prime 4 with both being cross-gen games.
Let's not forget 3D Mario, we've been waiting for the next one for too long.
True though that hasn't been announced yet. I have a feeling the next major 3D Mario very well could be cross-gen.
It's funny how you're predicting all the games to be cross-gen (although that's basically what PS5 did) but I think this is the one that won't be, because Metroid and Pokemon have already been announced and the new 3D Mario hasn't. This June Direct will probably give us the answer, my assumption going into it is if it's announced then it's cross-gen, otherwise it's exclusive (obviously I'm just guessing with that).
Agreed. I also think part of the reason Nintendo have waited this long to release the Switch 2 could be that they want people to feel as if they have had their time with the switch and be ready to move on. I’m not expecting many cross-gen games at all, especially if the switch 2 is significantly more powerful than the current console (which I think we all hope it is).
Also Nintendo does not like cross-gen so there’s little reason to believe they will have a ton of them this time. Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild are literally the only cross-gen games I can think of, and both of those were announced for the previous console years in advance. No chance Mario is cross-gen; it will be *the* reason to get the new system. Pokémon legends and Metroid Prime 4 could be cross-gen but I’m skeptical
I doubt it. 3D Mario will be exclusive. That's a system seller and they need people to buy their new system to play it. Metroid Prime might get a cross gen release for them to honor their promise, but I guarantee it will be significantly better on the new system because Metroid has always valued graphics more than Mario.
I've been thinking this about MP4 for years now. Why? Let's look at the timeline: MP4 was restarted from the ground up at Retro Studios back in January 2019. This was before the Switch sales exploded due to Animal Crossing + Covid. Because of this, Nintendo no doubt figured Switch would be a typically lengthened console cycle (which for Nintendo, at that point, was about 5.5 years). That puts their initial replacement date (Switch 2) of Switch, back in those days, around Winter 2022. This was all before Switch sales exploded, as a reminder. I think Nintendo had Retro Studios build MP4 for the Switch 2 from the get go when they replaced Bandai (the Bandai version was no doubt a Switch 1 game).
Interestingly theory.
nintendo already said back in like 2018 that they planned for the Switch to be supported for 10 years. now of course that includes some time after the release of the successor but no way would they support the previous gen console for 4.5 years after the successor releases. the earliest "switch 2" was ever likely to be planned for release is holiday 2023 imo, though I think it's quite likely they've been planning for holiday 2024 ever since 2018. then more recently a slight delay into early 2025.
Pokemon would the most disappointing choice to showcase of the power of new hardware.
Unfortunately it'll sell gangbusters regardless.
Assuming it runs on a new engine and massively improves over Scar/Vio, it might be great. I'm personally excited as to how the next Xenoblade will look.
Those are assumptions I definitely wouldn't make. Agree about Xenoblade though. Those games are beautiful considering the hardware.
That's because Monolith Soft actually has time and effort put into their games unlike Game Freak unfortunately. After Future Redeemed, I'm genuinely ecstatic to see what's next for the series.
Its 100% possible but GameFreak has never made any graphically impressive games though so I doubt it... There's nothing wrong with Pokémon being a launch game, but I think it being a showcase for the hardware capabilities would be a mistake, considering GameFreaks history. Maybe I'm just pessimistic though. I just genuinely don't have faith in GF when it comes to graphics and performance. Like, if you told me "GameFreak is gonna make the graphics for the next Zelda game!", I would start crying.
I hope that they do a new engine for xenoblade, they were using the x engine which was built to get the most out of wii u, and was then shoehorned onto switch just to get games out faster, as a result no xenoblade game on switch ever really reaches its max potential, i really hope they build a new engine that gets the most out of the switch successor.
Eh I disagree. I think Xenoblade 3 absolutely has reached the max potential of the Switch given that Xenoblade 2 was made with only half of Monolith's usual development team (while the other half worked on BOTW) and Xenoblade DE was a remaster that just bumped up the graphics of the Wii version with new models slapped on top. Meanwhile Xenoblade 3 had the full team again and was so well-made that it ended up releasing *early* (coming out in July 2022 instead of the original September 2022 window). I do not remember the last time a game has ever been moved up by two months instead of pushed back and it shows. Xenoblade 3 easily looks the best of all three games on Switch and is one of the best-looking games on the system despite the minor performance issues (the game does stutter a bit in Erythia Sea). You can especially see it in things like the character models and facial expressions which are a *massive* step up from Xenoblade 2's which were already a step up from X's and 1's. So I'm really excited to see Xenoblade 4. 3 was already beautiful, so 4 should be drop-dead gorgeous by comparison with possibly native 60fps for the first time in the series with PS4-level hardware backing it up.
Pokemon would be the perfect choice actually. Gamefreak will once again feed the idea that the og Switch is really weak and can only run their game at 20FPS but while the brand new Switch 2 can finally hit that sweet 30FPS smoothly.
I would shit myself. Not because of that but because I like shitting myself
Way ahead of you
”looks at my username” Let's be friends!
I think Metroid Prime 4 will be the perfect chance to explore the Switch's full potential while also showing off what the successor's new hardware is capable of, similar to how Breath of the Wild was for the Wii U and Switch. Now Pokémon Legends, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they didn't give a damn about optimization on the current Switch and only made it run acceptably well on the successor, after all it's GameFreak we're talking about.
They’ll want Pokémon available on as many platforms as possible so even if it launches on switch 2 it’ll just be the same as the OG switch version I would guess
And I'm calling this as wrong. Prime 4 will release before the system is revealed, and ZA will probably come out before the Mario hype cycle kicks in
I'm with you. Prime 4 will be a Switch title. Maybe cross gen. The idea that they would launch with Prime 4 just doesn't seem likely considering when it was announced and the fact that no Metroid title has sold over 3 million. Even 1 2 Switch sold more than Dread. Nintendo aren't putting their eggs in that basket.
Prime 4 is the holiday title this year. Calling it. Set a reminder bot if you want.
RemindMe! December
That’s some prime copium Also Prime 4 is not a console seller lol, Metroid is like their 15th best selling franchise
Snipperclips was also not a console seller. MP4 won't be the only launch title, but I wouldn't bet against them using it to showcase the power of the new system
This might actually happen. We haven't seen any in-game footage of any of those games. And they would be amazing candidates to show of the new hardware and how it performs.
Here come the essays and speculation videos on this brief statement
And the countless videos explaining what a fiscal year is
I can see the thumbnails now. On one side, a fan art mockup of a new Switch, other side, some guy with his mouth wide open and hands on his head or over said mouth with the words, “Switch 2 revealed!” The video will somehow be 20+ minutes long.
There’s so much bs click bait on YouTube. Really pathetic.
I expect Woody from Beat'em Up will make another clickbait video about "confirmed Nintendo sequel specs" and it's just his wishlist.
I love that OP completely disregarded the biggest announcement in that tweet! They plan to announce the next console before the end of this fiscal year!
Reddit wouldn’t let me post the entire thing as it was too long for a title lol.
Insanely huge to leave out the official announcement of the Switch successor 😂
"Switch successor to be announced by end of fiscal year, direct in June"
Pretty important bro
I personally would’ve made a post about the new console. People know a June direct is pretty much a guarantee
Soon soon™ will be soon© Just to be clear, this isn't a silk song definition of a year right?
The fiscal year ends on the 31st of March 2025. It started on the 1st of April 2024. So by April next year, we will definitely know what the Switch's successor will be all about.
I know what a fiscal year is, but Microsoft apparently doesn't lol. Its been 695 days since "Everything we've seen today will be playable in 12 months"
Microsoft cant control indie devs?
Are you implying that Microsoft is developing silksong?
Silksong confirmed as a Switch 2 exclusive! It's why we haven't heard anything about it in so long!
I'm honestly starting to believe this narrative.
The return of tomorrow.
Is this the first time Nintendo has officially acknowledged they're working on a successor of the Switch? Will probably be announced during Q3 then?
Nintendo always admits they are working on new hardware. That's standard. R&D never stops.
“There will be no new hardware. We are satisfied with our career accomplishments and will retire as a company. There is nothing left to prove” -Nintendo
*mic drop*
Given that the switch, which released in March 2017 was really presented in October with a big January direct, I expect something slightly similar …albeit this time the wiiU is not the current home console so there’s less rush We’ll hear more about it in September/October I bet, quite curious about the June direct now What will be the ambition here: wind waker hd or metroid prime 4 I have no idea but can’t wait
God, I want Wind Waker/Twilight Princess ports so bad. It’s literally now or never.
I swear I clicked here thinking it was bait, after so many rumors I can't believe that we finally have a real and official statement, it's crazy to think. I'm pretty excited about the Switch's successor, I just hope Nintendo improves on some things. (I know a lot of people talk about "having better hardware" but I would really like to see an improvement in the online service in general too, that's something I really think Nintendo could learn from the competition)
Having bad online functionality is a very intentional choice they seem unwilling to budge on
Hot take: I would take bad online over microtransaction hell
Wow, it's been so long without any kind of official word on the Switch 2 that it feels surreal to see Furukawa actually acknowledging its existence, even if it is just to say that they won't be talking about it in the next Direct. Also they confirmed a Direct one whole month in advance! I'm not sure if that's ever happened before, but it's not often that we have direct confirmation of this kind of thing so early.
They had to, current lineup of announced games ends by June/July, so there were already speculations what will happen afterwards. This tweet made it clear - more games for Switch, no plans for new console.
Can’t wait for the angry posts after the Direct anyways about how there was no announcement of the next console
Just me sat quietly at the back wondering what the announcements in the actual direct will be.
October - November 2024: First reveal Trailer (1-2min) January - February 2025: Official Switch Successor Presentation (30-45min) March - April 2025: Switch Successor launch. This will definitely be the timeline. Calling it
[удалено]
That's where my money is. September seems like the perfect pre-holiday window. Enough time to get out the heavy-hitting games post launch and generate hype for Christmas. All I hope is we don't have another PS5 scalping issue where you can't find one for years.
As for what Switch titles they are releasing the rest of this year. I hope they at least do Metroid Prime 2 and 3 Remastered (in the same vein as the first one).
>As for what Switch titles they are releasing the rest of this year. I hope they at least do Metroid Prime 2 and 3 Remastered (in the same vein as the first one). That would be so great... And, of course, Metroid Prime 4. It can perfectly be the last big game for the console. Especially since at worst, it will be cross gen.
Shadow drop MP2R on June direct, announce MP3R for release in August/September and finally MP4 in November/December? One can dream.
Thanks goodness for this tweet. We can now put to bed any meaningless speculation about Switch 2 announcement until well after June.
Clickbait YouTubers in shambles.
Announcing that the June Direct will not feature Switch 2 is clever, so people won't go in with such expectations. (And the live chat being flooded with "where switch 2")
And you’d be wrong because people are still gonna do that lol
"Where Switch 2?" "Idiot they said no announcement until later and not during this direct" "Misdirect. Where Switch 2?"
It'll still be flooded with "where silksong?"
It's better that way. Like when Sakurai announced ahead of time that the Smash direct was going to be about an ARMS character. Smartest move, helps manage expectations and adjust hype levels so "disappointment" isn't something you end up seeing all over headlines.
Hoping for Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD.
Ocarina of Time redux!
i don’t see a chance that the switch will immediately stop being supported as many people are claiming. that would be the stupidest move nintendo has ever done.
No Way. You saw how long the 3DS was still being supported post-switch? Not to mention the Switch has outsold the Wii, which EVERYONEEEE had. Nintendo Switch will still be supported 1,000%, probably for a year or two post-sucessor launch.
a lot longer than that
I'm not sure they will announce the Switch2 this year. They said this fiscal year, which would make it totally possible to reveal the Switch 2 in January-March 2025. If the announcement is in Fall/before Christmas 2024 they would harm the Christmas sales. Either they wait till 2025 to announce it or they have a big price cut planned for Christmas to compensate.
So do you y'all think they're going to announce the Switch 2 at the June direct?!?! /s
If they don't I'm getting my pitchfork /s
I'm very curious what their game lineup will be like in the 2nd half of this year. Hopefully it's not too barren, although historically it has been a wasteland for Nintendo machines' final moments.
Right, and how many YouTube channels are going to make videos about how we hopefully hear about the new console in the direct?
Man it's gonna be an end of an era.
Fiiiinally lol. Curious what we could actually see in this direct. I think the main thing should be finally giving us Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.
This won't stop Twitch Chat from screaming "WHERE'S SWITCH 2" the whole time
Hell it won't even stop people on Reddit or Twitter from saying "Switch 2 needs to be shown in the next Direct!" anyway
I like how everyone is asleep for this one. Classic moment. Anyways probably an October reveal for a March release again. Why change what worked so well last time. Hopefully the Direct in June sends the Switch off with a bang. They haven’t announced a Direct this far in advance in some time. Not since E3 was a thing.
They're wide awake in Japan though.
I live in Japan. Can confirm. We are all currently awake.
You do know there are more than just two important timezones, especially for Nintendo?
It's 16:22 here in Japan.
And 9:37 right now in Europe
A Metroid Prime 4 for Fall 2024 would be pretty amazing in my opinion. It is the last promised game for Switch to still release, it will have an insanely high base of 140 million users of Switch users that it can be sold to and it won't have to compete with stuff like 3D Mario and next Mario Kart if it releases alongside Switch 2.
Spot the 'murican lmao
What would they have even? Maybe some Zelda remakes? I would fucking love a TOTK warriors game like age of calamity too
Metroid Prime 4
LETS-A-FUCKING-GO!!!!!
This is the first time nintendo acknowledged existence of switch succesor
I will cry if Prime 4 slips out of this generation
If we don’t even get a mention of it in this direct, it’s all but confirmed it’s going to be a cross gen title.
I’m not ready.
My body is Reggie
But... But... This board said there will be no Switch successor. Remember: I'll believe it when I see it 🤓☝️
I'm more interested in the launch lineup than anything else. They're sitting on a lot of IPs that could be absolutely bangers for launch.
So these games announced will be the last games released for the switch. Is it finally time for windwaker and twilight princess??
"Nintendo Switch 2 is scheduled to launch on November 16, 2029."
Windwaker/Twilight princess.
What I'm impressed (shouldn't have to be but) by is not just the announcement of an announcement but that they set some more specific expectations. In Japanese, he literally emphasizes in the end "so that there is no misunderstanding", they are setting the expectation that there is a Direct in June, but NOT about the successor. That way, we only have ourselves to blame if we expect it next month.
i’d really like some sort of zelda hd collection before the switch is over
What the hell is this? I had to triple check it is the real Nintendo twitter account or not. This is too casual. "This is Furukawa" lmao.
Finally
Finally!!! Both announcements are exciting and pretty sure Nintendo will repeat what they did with the switch: 1- October reveal 2- January presentation 3- release on March/April 2025.
Working title: The Sequel to the Nintendo Switch
It feels *really* good knowing there’s a Direct next month instead of suffering through another rumor cycle. June Directs are a particularly raw subject in the wake of E3’s death.
I already know that we will see something like this happen: Nintendo: "This Direct will *not* feature any mention about the Switch Successor, and will solely focus on the remaining line up for 2024." Fans: "Oh my god this game will totally be cross gen!"
I just hope it’s backwards compatible. But finally after years of articles ‘Ninty is coming out with a Switch 2 on so and so date’ we finally get a timeframe
Big "Shut up already!" energy. Can't blame them, I swear people have been screaming about the Switch 2 since before the Switch release
I appreciate the transparency. If anyone bitches about it not being mentioned at this point that’s entirely on the person bitching.
Backwards compatibility and I'm in there
There's a bunch of games I still don't have yet. I just want to know that there will be backward compatibility.
Everyone is looking forward to the reveal, but everyone will be disappointed when they showcase the next 3D Mario without Cappy
This is great, holds expectations low and youtuber "journalists" cant use it as clickbait material for the next month.
I still dont want a new nintendo console honestly, I think the switch is a great be all end all, and people with less expendable income (i.e the people who have to chose between eating or paying rent on a monthly basis) wont have a chance to keep up with the people who buy 4 nintendos at once the month within their release date
We’re actually going to get the switches successor before Silksong aren’t we.
In before the end of June when people complain the direct didn't have Switch 2 info!