Summary
-
Nintendo won't change its Switch 2 announcement date despite recent leaks.
-
A former senior marketing employee says Nintendo has a date in mind and nothing will change that.
-
It is unknown how soon after the announcement the Switch 2 will be released.
A former head of public relations at Nintendo of America has predicted that the company will not change the announcement date for the Switch 2 despite the recent leaks of the console.
The leaks used to be more dubious, like when we saw stolen Switch 2 prototypes from Chinese factories. However, the current round of leaks came from the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Nintendo accessory makers have been showing off mock-ups of Nintendo's new console “behind closed doors” to promote their own products.
Nintendo is unflappable
Still, nothing official has come from Nintendo except an admission that it intends to announce its next console sometime after the end of the current fiscal year, i.e. after March 2025. Officially, we don't know that the next console will be a more powerful iteration of Switch, despite overwhelming unofficial evidence suggesting it is.
However, Nintendo is not one to be rushed by public sentiment or rumours. According to Krysta Yang who has worked in marketing at Nintendo of America for over 14 years, the company will not change its plans: “As wild as these leaks are, Nintendo will stick to its plan,” writes Yang on Twitter. “They have a date in mind and they don't budge no matter what.”
Yang left the company in 2022 and worked there for the entire marketing cycle of the original Switch, so her opinion is likely based on Nintendo's established practices. The exact date Nintendo intends to announce the Switch is unknown, but everyone should probably stop expecting an announcement before April. It likely won't wait much longer after the end of the fiscal year to make the announcement.
In terms of launch titles, Pokémon Legends: ZA is the only major release currently eligible, with Game Freak confirming a release window for the title in 2025. There will also likely be a Mario game to accompany the release. By comparison, the original Nintendo Switch launched with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Party 8, among others.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is both a home console and a handheld gaming system in one package, with different versions offering better specs for dedicated enthusiasts.
- Stamp
-
Nintendo
- Operating system
-
Proprietary, codenamed Horizon
- Storage
-
32 – 64 GB, expandable via microSD
- VR support
-
No
- Resolution
-
480p – 1080p (docked) / 1280 x 720 (handheld)
