In the most perverse way, Nintendo confirmed years of rumors on Tuesday: a Nintendo Switch 2 console is on the way.
“We will make an announcement regarding a successor to the Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year,” Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa wrote on X.
It wasn’t a real console announcement, mind. Rather, Furukawa wanted to warn users not to expect an actual announcement at next month’s Nintendo Direct livestream.
“We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for late 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of a Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation,” the post reads.
Nintendo’s fiscal year ends in March, which means we may have to wait until Spring 2025 to find out what’s next for the Switch, which released nine years ago.
Launched in 2015, the Nintendo Switch was a resounding success for the Japanese gaming company. To date, Nintendo has sold more 141 million unitsMaking the Switch the third best-selling console of all time, behind only the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2.
The Switch became so popular because it was the first commercially successful gaming hardware that could be played as both a handheld device and a desktop console connected to an external display. The coincidental release of “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” at the beginning of the global coronavirus lockdown was also one a boon for nintendo, Between March and November 2020, Nintendo sold 12 million Switch consoles, an increase of 73% compared to the same period a year earlier. The company had to revise its financial forecast that year by 50% more than expected.
Nintendo’s sly announcement came alongside its quarterly earnings report. The company’s hardware sales declined 12.6% year-over-year, which is natural when its flagship console has been available for nearly a decade. Nevertheless, the Switch remains extremely popular, thanks to blockbuster exclusive titles like “”.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,”the long-awaited sequel to the classic”breath of the wild,
“Tears of the Kingdom” sold Last year, 20.6 million copies were sold, while “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” sold 13.44 million copies. Indie developers continue to release games for the Switch, which players can download through the Nintendo eShop. That, and the fact that Nintendo has made it possible for users to play their older consoles.’ Games on the Switch have kept the console feeling fresh even after nine years.
So, what will come first: Nintendo Switch 2 or silksong,
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