Rumor: Nintendo Switch 2 May Launch Later Than Expected

16.02.2024 - 19:48 / gamerant.com / Andy Robinson / Dominik Bo / Nintendo

The release of the next Nintendo console, provisionally called the Switch 2, could slip into 2025, according to a new report citing several industry sources. The claim runs contrary to a number of recent rumors indicating that Nintendo is targeting a 2024 release for the Switch follow-up.

As its predecessor is approaching its seven-year release anniversary, the Switch 2 is nowadays considered as one of Nintendo's worst-kept secrets. And while rumors about the new system have been circulating the industry for years, they have gotten much more specific in recent times, with the latest influx of reports suggesting that Nintendo is planning to release the console in the second half of 2024. September was repeatedly quoted as the potential release month for the Switch 2, although some sources insisted the ostensibly hybrid system may not be out until the fourth quarter of the year.

A third possibility was recently raised by Brazilian journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, who claims that the console will be out later than initially expected. The latest episode of the reporter's YouTube news recap saw him assert the Switch 2 is actually targeting a 2025 debut. Lippe attributed the information to five unnamed developer sources from three different continents, who claimed they are currently working on Switch 2 launch games that are all aiming to release in Q1 2025.

Although this individual does not have a substantial track record of high-profile gaming scoops to speak of, VGC's Andy Robinson mentioned «there was some industry chatter» about the Switch 2 slipping into 2025 earlier this week. Robinson noted that he still cannot corroborate Lippe's story, while speculating that another March console debut «makes sense» given how well that timing worked out for the Switch.

If Lippe's information is accurate, then it is extremely unlikely that the same can be said about the recent rumor suggesting the Switch 2 reveal could happen next month. Nintendo historically favored unveiling new hardware fairly close to its release, with the Switch going from announcement to hitting the market in less than five months. Then again, the company did acknowledge its latest console's existence much earlier than that, having confirmed that the system was in development under the NX codename back in March 2015.

This time around, the gaming giant opted for a much more secretive approach; Nintendo hence keeps dismissing the Switch 2 rumors, having just recently said that its current console will continue comprising the bulk of its business throughout its upcoming fiscal year, which runs from April 2024 to March 2025.

Nintendo's newest system features a vibrant 7-inch OLED screen, a wide adjustable stand, a dock with a wired LAN port, 64 GB