Nintendo Is Telling Game Publishers Switch 2 Will Be Delayed

Takashi Mochizuki and Yuki Furukawa, Bloomberg News

An attendee plays the Fate/Samurai Remnant video game on a Nintendo Co. Switch game console in the Koei Tecmo Holdings Co. booth at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, Japan, on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. The show runs through to Sept. 24. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Nintendo Co. is advising game publishers that its next-generation console will be delayed until the early months of 2025, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The successor to the popular Switch was targeted for release at the end of this year, however several publishers have now been told to expect it to slip into next, according to the people, who asked not to be named since the device hasn’t been announced.

Nintendo has told some publishing executives not to expect the console until March 2025 at the earliest. That means the next console would miss the key holiday shopping period, which is usually the ideal timing for new console debuts.

The Switch, now seven years old, has sold over 139 million units and delivered smash hits like two award-winning Legend of Zelda games and a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe that’s sold over 60 million copies. The handheld-hybrid gadget has sustained enthusiasm longer than most consoles and Nintendo’s shares hit an all-time high this week as investors looked past the next few months toward the next generation. The delay will test their patience as Nintendo extends the current Switch’s life even further.

Read More: Nintendo’s Record Gain Tested in Wait for ‘Switch 2’: Tech Watch

Kyoto-based Nintendo has a relatively sparse slate of games coming for the Switch this year, which Tokyo-based analyst Serkan Toto sees as a sign the company is holding back its biggest hits for the next-gen Switch.

“Nintendo is likely looking at a pretty dry pipeline this year,” Toto said. “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.”

A Nintendo spokesperson said the company has nothing to comment on. The games maker has been tight-lipped about any potential Switch successor, with President Shuntaro Furukawa promising to discuss its plans for the next fiscal year after it reports March-quarter earnings. News of the delay was reported earlier by the Video Games Chronicle.

(Updates with additional details and analyst comment)