Summary
NintendoPresident Shuntaro Furukawa recently gave an update about the short-term future of the original Switch. Nintendo’s latest mainline console has been an overwhelming success,breaking sales milestones left and rightsince it was first launched way back in 2017. This success is due in no small part to the Switch’s versatility and strong assortment of first-party titles like this year’sThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. All good things must come to an end eventually though, and the Nintendo Switch is now six years old - old enough for fans to wonder when Nintendo will move on to a new console.
Rumors about when this new Nintendo hardware will hit the market have been circulating the internet for quite some time, with many industry insiders believing thatthe supposed Switch 2 could launch next year. A recently leaked document from the FTC’s lawsuit against Microsoft seems to support this, as do reports that developers were able to demo Nintendo’s new console at Gamescom 2023 back in August. In fact, word has it that select big-name studios are already developing games for this still-unannounced system, even though the original Switch might not be going away anytime soon.
NintendoPresident Shuntaro Furukawa sat down for an interview with Nikkei (as translated by VGC), during which he shared some insight into his company’s plans for the next few years. These plans include focusing on the Switch until at least the end of the current fiscal year in March 2024. However, Furukawa also revealed that Nintendo will continue to develop software for the Switch all the way up to the end of March 2025.
Furukawa also notes that Nintendo aims to capitalize onthe success ofTears of the KingdomandThe Super Mario Bros. Moviethroughout the upcoming holiday season, and there are certainly plenty of exciting first-party Switch titles on the horizon. This October will see the release ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder, andPrincess Peach Showtimeis set to launch around the end of the current fiscal year next March. After that will comeLuigi’s Mansion 2 HDandPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, both re-releases of titles from past console generations.
Overlaps between console generations are nothing new, asNintendo itself continued to support the 3DS handheldwith new titles for a few years after the Switch launched in 2017. Thus, it’s completely reasonable to assume that the Switch will continue to receive new software ifNintendodoes release its next console next year as many are predicting. In any case, Nintendo Switch owners can look forward to continued support until at least March 2025 - even if the inevitable transition to new hardware begins before then.
