The release date for the Nintendo Switch 2, which was anticipated to be late 2024, is reportedly being put back to at least March 2025, according to various reports.
Various news outlets, including Bloomberg, VGC, Eurogamer and others, reported that the timeframe has slipped. The reasons for the delay to the launch of the much-anticipated follow-up to the Switch – which has sold more than 139 million units since its debut in March 2017 – are not clear but there is speculation that it is to ensure that the roster of games available when it is released is as strong as possible.
Nintendo’s share price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange dipped when the news emerged, after a record high last month, which was partly fuelled by anticipation for the new console.
This could make 2024 a slow year for Nintendo, as many new blockbuster titles will be held back to be launched on the new console, meaning games sales could be less than anticipated. That said, it is still hoped that the Switch 2 will be released before the end of the 2024/5 financial year at the end of March 2025.
Indeed, the pipeline of big games releases for the Switch is fairly thin so far for 2024, although those that have been announced all involve the ever-popular Super Mario franchise, so will no doubt sell well. Three upcoming titles include Princess Peach: Showtime, scheduled for March 22, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – the latter two don’t yet have firm release dates. Metroid Prine 4 is also slated for release on the Switch at some point this year.
It has been reported that hundreds of developers are now working on projects for released the Switch 2, and there have also been rumours that it will be able to run Call of Duty.
