Overview

Nintendo Switch 2 Rumors refer to persistent speculation that Nintendo is close to announcing a followup console to the Nintendo Switch. Such speculation has been fueled by various clues, rumors, and supposed leaks periodically from 2022 through 2023.

Background

The Nintendo Switch was released in 2017, and throughout its history, Nintendo has consistently released a new home console every 5-6 years.^[1] Thus, rumors that Nintendo was about to release a new home console began in earnest starting in 2022. One of the earliest events that fueled "Switch 2" speculation was the March 2022 announcement that Tears of the Kingdom would be delayed. This caused some fans to speculate that Tears of the Kingdom would be a launch title on the follow up to the Switch. However, this did not come to pass, as Tears of the Kingdom was released on the Switch in May of 2023.

Developments

Rumors of a Switch successor increased in intensity in 2023. In May of 2023, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told investors that Nintendo did not plan to announce a followup to the Switch until the end of the fiscal year, which would be March 31st, 2024.^[2] Despite this, rumors about an imminent followup to the Switch remained persistent as steady leaks and rumors suggested the console was on the horizon. In September of 2023, Eurogamer reported that Nintendo showed the Switch 2 to developers behind closed doors at Gamescom.^[3]

Fans also began to interpret Nintendo's public behavior as signs that the Switch was on its way out. In September of 2023, Nintendo held a Direct presentation in which the marquee announcement was a rerelease of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. The lack of a new title for a major IP led some fans to believe that Nintendo was holding back on making a big announcement until the release of its next home console.

On October 17th, Resetera^[4] users noticed that Nintendo had hidden the reveal trailer for the Nintendo Switch. This led to speculation that Nintendo was prepping for a Switch 2 trailer, though some suggested the hidden video may have been due to music licensing issues.

Notably, media publications began talking about the imminent end of the Switch era as a bit of an open secret. Several reviews of Super Mario Bros. Wonder characterized the game as a "send-off" to the Switch.^[5][6][7]

Search Interest

External References