While many have been expecting and hoping for the Nintendo Switch 2 to arrive later this year, new reports suggest the much-anticipated console has been delayed until the “early months of 2025.”
As reported by Bloomberg, VGC, and Eurogamer, sources claim Nintendo has been telling game publishers that the Switch 2 was originally planned to be released at the end of 2024 but is now expected to slip to “March 2025 at the earliest.”
If this proves to be true, it will be an interesting year for the original Switch which recently passed 139.36 million units sold. As it stands on the first-party front, we only know of such heavy hitters as Princess Peach: Showtime on March 22 and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake later this year.
If those last two games are anything to go by, it could be a big year for remakes and remasters as Nintendo prepares new entries of its beloved franchises for the Switch 2. Many, including myself, will surely be hoping for the HD versions of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess to finally jump from Wii U to Switch.
“Nintendo is likely looking at a pretty dry pipeline this year,” Tokyo-based analyst Serkan Toto told Bloomberg. “The company will still try to keep the blockbusters for the next console, so 2024 might see more remakes of old Nintendo hits. In any case, 2024 will be a lot tougher for Nintendo without a new device.”
Hopefully, Nintendo’s 2024 release schedule will come a little more into focus with the rumored February Direct. Nintendo has a history of dropping Directs in February, so there is a good chance one will arrive soon or in March.
Anything can happen with Nintendo, and plans change all the time, so it’s important to remember that nothing is set in stone.
For more, check out our review of the recently released Mario vs. Donkey Kong, what else we can expect from Nintendo in 2024 and if we think there is a future for amiibo on Switch 2.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
