Switch 2 Rumors Suggest a \"Summer of Switch 2\" Next Year

Recent reports indicate that the eagerly awaited Switch 2, Nintendo's next flagship console, is not expected to launch before April 2025. As the current Switch model approaches the end of its lifecycle, Nintendo continues to focus on its performance and future plans.

"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, dubbed the "Switch 2," is reportedly not expected to launch before April 2025. This insight was shared by Chris Dring, head of the media company GamesIndustry.biz, during a recent podcast. Dring revealed that 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, aiming to avoid a launch clash with other major releases such as Rockstar Games' "GTA 6," which is rumored to launch in the Fall of 2025. Additionally, journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe mentioned on the O X do Controle podcast 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 make an announcement about the Switch 2 before the fiscal year ends on March 31, 2025. However, Nintendo has yet to confirm these reports, maintaining silence on the matter while promising an official announcement regarding 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

In related news, Nintendo's shares experienced a 2.3% drop in Tokyo on August 2 following a report of declining revenue from the current Switch console. Nintendo's Q1 FY2025 Financial Results revealed a -46.4% decrease in consolidated sales for its dedicated video game platform. Despite this, 2.1 million units of the Switch were sold during the quarter, marking its eighth year on the market. 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. This statistic refers 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, 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."