Rumor: Switch 2 to Release in Q1 2025 - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 March 2024 / 6,778 Views
A new rumor claims Nintendo is now aiming to release the successor the Nintendo Switch in Q1 2025, according to Brazilian games journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe on a new OX do Controle video. He received information from five separate sources.
Multiple sources have also told VideoGamesChronicle Nintendo is planning to launch the Switch 2 in the first quarter of 2025. Third-party developers were recently informed of an internal delay from late 2025 to early the next year.
One source believes the reason for the delay is so Nintendo could prepare a stronger first-party line-up for the console.
Eurogamer has also "heard similar whispers of an early 2025 launch from industry sources this week." However, they have "not been able to concretely substantiate them."
A Q1 2025 release window for the Switch 2 would be similar to the Switch, which launched on March 3, 2017.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Nice move. I don't mind at all waiting until 2025 if that means receiving a chunck of excelent games throughout the year. There's still a lot of Switch games that I haven't played yet, so 2024 would be the year to catch up with some of them
Catch up year exactly.
"nice move, i don't care if there are no games for a year"
i've been hearing that a lot from Nintendo and Sony players this year, but not Xbox users, interesting lmao (just saw a youtube video saying it was a good thing Sony had no games this year)
Huge win for team 160M switchssold , if true. It's starting to look very possible.
Maybe Nintendo really IS going for the record. Perhaps they feel they can afford to give Switch 1 one more holiday season to itself. With the recent report about Sony not having any major 1st party titles coming up, they don't have to worry too much about competition. So they can use that time to make sure Switch 2's lineup is stacked and ready to go.
Would make sense considering the Q1 2017 launch worked wonders for Switch 1. If it works, why go away from it?
At this point Switch console sales aren't really super important.
...But you do have a massive market to sell your software towards... Which is what really makes the cash anyway.
PS2's record looking really precarious right now...
Yes, theres going to be a new King in town :) A extra year, and the Switch should take the crown.
So many rumors, so little time... Let's just wait and see I say
This one was echoed by a lot of people, including Eurogamer. Who broke the story on the original Switch. So I think this is one of those that we can probably safely assume is the current plan.
Cannot wait!
Nintendo can make you :P
It has been a long wait and it will be interesting how the marketing campaign will go for the new nintendo console.
Smart! Ps2 finally going to be second place.
I believe the reason why Nintendo is releasing in Q1 2025 is for a few factors Nintendo have considered.
- Yea, it'll give them more time to polish any games currently in development (a reason Nintendo would rather give to their fans than go into 'boring' financial stuff).
- Also, the cost of hardware manufacturing will decrease the later they hold onto the Switch 2's release (due to Moore's Law) and since the Switch is still selling well, it wouldn't make financial sense to release it this year.
-
But also, if the Switch beats the overall PS2 sales, it'll be crowned the best selling console of all time and make a load of headlines which is a clever marketing plan for the Switch 2 which worked for the PS1 & PS2 transition.
I think the second factor is probably the most fundamental reason why they are releasing it in 2025 and there'll be other factors too that I have not considered.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it the most fundamental reason if Switch 2 launches in 2025, but if it's a side benefit that pans out, then Nintendo should take it and run with it. A lot of folks here don't think Nintendo would care about having the all-time sales record, but why shouldn't it? Like you said, that would generate all kinds of headlines and good publicity. And then when you're marketing the Switch 2, you can say, "THE SUCCESSOR TO THE BEST SELLING/MOST POPULAR/GREATEST CONSOLE OF ALL TIME AS SAID BY YOU, THE FANS". That means something.
Everyone remembers the champion, gold medalist or all-time record holder, no one remembers the loser of the championship, silver medalist of second of all-time.
If the PS2 becomes a silver medalist, it won't fall into the category of the forgotten, since it held 1st place (and by a huge margin compared to other non-handheld consoles) for so many years.
I agree, Switch overtaking the PS2 is a side factor and not the most fundamental one for Nintendo.
Sorry for the miscommunication, I meant the Moore's Law (with switch still selling well) factor. I tried numbering the 3 factors with a full stop (.) at the end of each number, but VGChartz's algorithms replaced the numbers and processed them as paragraphs with about 12 spaces to the right.
Rumour: The Switch 2 will add 3 inches to your dick.
yeah but I heard it will only be an LCD dick and not LED.... Lame
Good news for me I guess. Means I don't have to buy a new console until next year.
If Nintendo follows what they did with the Switch 1, the Switch 2 would likely launch with the next big 3D Mario game in March 2025, have a Smash Bros Ultimate Deluxe with all DLC ~2 months after launch, a medium sized game in the Summer, and Mario Kart 9 as the big holiday release. Along with some smaller titles.
It’s hard to say what Nintendo’s thinking at the moment. Mario is very strong during the Holidays, so it would be a little unprecedented for them to drop the big new Mario in Q1 2025. Is it possible Metroid Prime 4 — similar to Metroid Dread — could receive launch title treatment? The game will almost certainly review incredibly well, which would certainly send some people over to Switch successor. (Not to mention Metroid would inevitably become a 10mil+ seller.)
But on the other hand, nintendo has proven that launching in the holidays or near it, isnt super great for a console. Early adopters will get one anyways, and demand will be too large early on, its first season, basically wasteing the first holidays season. Launching early into the year, allows you to also benefit from the first holidays.
Im convinced that Metroid Prime 4 will be on the Switch. I don't see it being a launch title. Though I do think that Nintendo will produced more Metroid content in the successor's life.
There's no way it won't be on the Switch 2 but it could possibly be cross-gen. Even if it was ready before the next system releases I'm pretty sure they would rather save it for getting the new system off to a good start.
It sounds like a pretty good release window, but the 2025 Holiday season would be better so that by then it'll have more games available at launch and benefit from Holiday sales.
Yeah, but the March release window for the original Switch worked out well for Nintendo. I'm sure it'll work out again for the Switch 2.
But keep in mind it'll need to launch with great first party titles, and unlike the Wii U have ACTUAL marketing.
This post makes me feel like I stepped out of a time machine into 2016.
Like Mr.GameCrazy said, launching in March worked out nicely for the Switch. I think Nintendo realizes that there is no added benefit to launching in the holiday season because the scalpers and super-sickos are going to buy up every unit the moment they leave the production line for the first 6-12 months. Most people won't be able to get hands on one for a while after launch, so why even tease them? Launch it early in the year, hope the crazies and scalpers get their fill, then get rewarded with a second launch in the holiday season where everyone else can get their own at retail price.
I highly doubt Nintendo would the repeat same mistake they made with the Wii U. I also think as long as they have a good lineup for its first year like the Switch did, it should work out just fine for Nintendo.
Nihon Falcom is going to be doing a lot of heavy lifting in my gaming schedule this year. They're always good for the "twilight years" of a system.
Honestly a tad dissapointing. The second half of this year could do with some more excitement. Was hoping we'd have Metroid Prime 4 or a new 3D Mario along with the systems original 2024 launch... Oh well, if the software isn't ready it's not ready.
honestly? I’d be more disappointed if they dropped the console with undercooked software. I say let them take their time! Same deal happened with Switch back in 2016 (and Animal Crossing back in 2019): both ended up being the smart play.
Smart play! Switch 2 will sell regardless in the time of year. Releasing during the holidays would almost certainly create shortage issues. First holiday would be the GTA VI holiday, which is preferable than the second holiday be this way (If the Switch had YoY drop from its first holiday, that wouldn’t be positive momentum. By the second holiday of any console, there should be enough exclusives at this points and hardware refinements for consumers to start purchasing in the 20mil+). Alongside stronger first-party lineup? And another strong holiday for Switch boosting sales past DS, and allowing the possibility of cruising by PS2? Very good.
…The only problem I see is that a Switch 2 reveal prior to April this year would be better than later. Why? Because at the moment, Nintendo is still riding off the fame of their 2023 lineup. By the time late-2024 comes around, in a year which looks rather dry for Switch, it’s hard to say how much of the hype will hold. It’ll be solid, don’t get me wrong…but certainly now is better than later.
I'm with you on that. Look at recent history with PS5 and X Series... no one could get their hands on them for at least the first year, so releasing during the holidays meant diddly squat. I'm aware that contemporary world events had a hand in that, but I think supply issues would have still been a problem.
Heck, Nintendo couldn't produce Switches fast enough in its first couple of years. Remember the stories of them being rushed out by plane? For Nintendo to pay a premium for that manner of shipping tells you that there wasn't some fake supply and demand issue. Nintendo really was trying to produce as many as fast as possible but couldn't meet demand.
There is absolutely no historic precedent that a previous console affects the succes of the next one.
This is great for those who want to keep playing on it, but it's bad for me. I get bored with any particular console at around the five year mark. I don't know if it's growing up in the golden era of the industry or not, but after that, I literally stop caring and start wanting the next thing. Switch launched when PS4 and Xbox One were still YEARS away from being replaced. I want something new. lol
Well it's never wise to launch a console with a bad line up. Especially Nintendo has to built up a solid momentum or people forget it even exists.
Really, your source it is from Brazil? Oh Dear, we should stop believing in everything that you read.
this will slow down PS5 sales
Well they better discount the Switch and give us the Nintendo Select line for Switch to drive up sales.
So 8 years since the Switch, the longest cycle for Nintendo ever edging the NES cycle by ~6-9 months.
Like what I was saying from way back, it's gonna be March 2025. Facts.
Not good for them for this year business-wise of course, as that means holiday sales for Nintendo this year are going to be quite bad. There's likely to be zero big first party games on Switch from this point onward (last one being Mario Wonder 4 months ago), so unless they do big price cuts before holidays there's going to be nothing at all pushing sales during the year and during the holidays.
But if they made the crucial mistake of not having next gen games ready to go this year then it makes sense to wait until they are ready. It would just be disappointing that they didn't schedule software well for launching next gen. That's a pretty big mistake on their part, if this rumor ends up being true. Very poor upper level management if this is the case.
Personally I could care less as I still have years worth of Switch games to play. It would just be a big screw up by Nintendo.
That's a bit late, I was expecting Late 2024 with many third party ports of games that have skipped first Switch
The Switch got plenty of ports that were years late but still pleased their publishers, so the Switch 2 can as well. Every comment section I see about a Switch port, official or wishing, there are people saying they'll double dip for a Switch version.
I'm just saying games like Kingdom Come Deliverance are getting Switch ports soon, and it would be a shame if they skipped on Switch 2 enhancements to resolution, texture quality and frame-rate etc.
Hope this rumour is false and it planned to release this year. Switch is so outdated that I don't play mine anymore...
The best selling console of all time was the PlayStation 2. It was followed by the PlayStation 3 which is Sony's worst selling console to date.
The best selling handheld game console of all time is the Nintendo DS. It was followed by the Nintendo 3DS which is the worst selling Nintendo handheld console to date.
Nintendo's best selling home console prior to the switch was the Nintendo Wii. It was followed by the Wii U which is of course Nintendo's worst selling home console.
These are ominous signs for whatever the next Nintendo console will be.
I think you're being way too pessimistic. The 3DS may not have sold as well as the GBA or the DS, but it still did well considering it had a bad start along with its initial high price.
The Wii U may have failed hard, but they turned it around with the Switch after they screwed up so bad with marketing their previous game console. I think Nintendo is smart enough to not repeat the same mistakes they made in the past to ensure the next Nintendo console is successful.
This wouldn't be a smart move. If they release the successor in Q1 2025, they have to announce it before the holiday season '24. Otherwise customers would feel scammed. An announcement before the holiday season would definitely hurt further Switch sales. This is a completely different situation compared with Wii U, because Wii U was already dead at the moment Switch was announced. A Q1 2025 release is highly unlikely imo.
If Sony releases a PS5 Pro before the holidays, it's even more unlikely that Nintendo just watches how the competitor takes over the market. Of course this wouldn't be about power, just about offering new hardware to attract people.
Who would feel scammed? People who buy a console at the end of year 7 are not the same customers who buy a console day 1.
Announce Switch 2 before the holidays, coupled with a switch price cut. They get holiday sales from 1 type of customer and launch sales after from a different type.
Your second paragraph makes no sense. How on earth is a PS5 pro going to take sales from a Switch 2...
A release second half of 2024 would do a lot more damage to Switch 1 sales than the knowledge of a successor releasing a few months after Xmas lol.
Also, the Pro consoles aren't nearly the sales drivers you seem to think. They weren't last gen and with the struggle people had to get a base model this gen, I can imagine decent sales but it'll hardly set the world alight like a completely new gen entry would.
If this delay allows Nintendo to get the supply together as well as have a better software lineup then they'll be absolutely fine and this'll be the right move for both them and us as consumers.
Furthermore it really would be giving Switch 1 the best chance to overtake PS2 in sales. The fanboy in me would love that lol
If the kids ask Santa for a Switch, the parents are not going to tell them that Santa is late and they need to wait till March 2025
They might have to release it in 2025 because they have no games ready. They have less than half the output they had during the Wii U + 3DS era, and they need time to get more games. Someone should make a spreadsheet comparing the old output versus today. Hopefully that Switch money lets Nintendo step up the release schedule for the Switch 2.
Zelda: Wii U + 3DS: BoTW, Twilight Princess HD, Wind Waker HD, A Link Between Worlds, OoT 3D, Majora's Mask 3D, Hyrule Warriors Legends, Triforce Heroes /
Switch: Tears of the Kingdom and Link's Awakening.
Mario Kart? Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8. /
Switch? Nothing. Just DLC tracks.
Mario is even worse. And we got no Donkey Kong and no Star Fox. (we had Country Returns and Star Fox 3D and Tropical Freeze, nothing this gen).
