Oliver Johnson
Gamers who have been waiting for years for Nintendo to release a successor to its popular Switch console finally have an idea of when to expect an updated device.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said Tuesday in a publish on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Japanese tech giant will announce the new change in its current fiscal year, which ends in March 2025.
Nintendo did not offer additional details, including a release date for the Switch 2, as the console is called. The company did not respond to a request for comment. In February, Nintendo told video game publishers that the device would be delayed until early 2025, Bloomberg reported.
The launch of a new Switch system would strengthen Nintendo in a fiercely competitive video game market that includes Sony’s Playstation and Microsoft’s Xbox. The global video game market is expected to grow to US$583.6 billion by 2030, according to for business consulting firm Grand View Research.
The Switch became an instant hit for Nintendo when it debuted in 2017 thanks to its unique design and plethora of games. The device resembles a tablet and has removable buttons on each side that the player uses to control the game. It can also be docked with a charging station, allowing the user to continue playing on the television screen – an unprecedented feature at the time.
Nintendo’s first handheld gaming system – the Game Boy – was released in 1989, but the company didn’t release another handheld system until 2004, when the DS hit US stores. Another 13 years passed before Nintendo released the Switch. In major US cities, customers camped outside in long lines the day before Switch consoles go on sale in 2017.
In 2019, Nintendo introduced the Switch Lite, a less expensive version of the game system. To replace sales soared in 2020 during the pandemic as homebound Americans turned to gaming to pass the time.
Some of Nintendo’s best-selling video game titles – including Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Minecraft, Super Mario and Super Smash Bros. – are all available on the Switch, making the device even more attractive to gamers. Nintendo will announce new games available for the Switch next month during a company event, but the upcoming presentation will not include details about the Switch’s successor, Furukawa also said Tuesday.
Today, the Switch is Nintendo’s second best-selling console, behind only the DS. Nintendo has sold more than 141 million Switch consoles, according to company data.
In comparison, the company has sold 154 million DS consoles along with 76 million Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo sold 101 million Wii units and 13.5 million Wii U units.
Nintendo reported a profit of $3 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2024, up from $2.8 billion the previous year.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report.
