Recently, Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, commented on the possibility of a new hardware announcement being made during this fiscal year, leaving fans speculating about the potential release of the Switch 2. The Nintendo Switch has had one of its most successful console generations thanks to its blockbuster line of first-party exclusives like the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, with popular variants like the Switch Lite and Switch OLED.
However, with the Switch entering its sixth year, fans are already beginning to wonder when its successor will be revealed. Rumors about the still-hypothetical Switch 2’s improved technical specifications and backward compatibility have spread across the internet. It is believed that Nintendo will begin shifting its focus toward developing this new system once The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches later this week.
Despite speculation, fans shouldn’t expect any new Nintendo console announcements anytime soon. According to a Bloomberg report, Furukawa stated that there are currently no plans to announce any new or upgraded Nintendo hardware during the current fiscal year, meaning that a new Switch successor won’t be revealed until March 31, 2024, at the earliest.
Furukawa’s statement comes right when fans started to wonder if a new Nintendo console could be announced in the wake of the Switch’s reported drop in sales over the past 12 months. While software sales are as high as ever, an apparent lack of demand for hardware during the usually busy holiday season and a reported semiconductor shortage have led to a decrease in overall profit. Despite this, Nintendo is committed to its goal of selling 15 million units this year.
Furukawa’s statement that Nintendo has no plans to reveal any new hardware this year doesn’t necessarily mean that a Switch 2 isn’t in development, but anyone expecting such a system to appear during the upcoming summer announcement season might be in for a disappointment. Only time will tell when the next Nintendo console will be revealed to the public, but it looks like gamers might have to wait until next spring at the earliest to see it.
