This is Furukawa, President of Nintendo. We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015. We will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.
So just to be clear - are you predicting that this new Switch will release in the window just before xmas 2024, as announcing a new console now and not releasing it for a while is tantamount to shooting their christmas sales for the original console in the foot?
If so I guess it depends - will the new console be backwards compatible? If so, people will likely continue to buy games now in the knowledge that they can upgrade later on. And there have been rumours of a new Switch for a while. I suspect most people who wanted an OLED Switch by now would’ve got one. I feel like they could announce the console now and release it after a year or two, without hurting themselves too badly.
Before Xmas 2025 is more likely. They’ll announce it on the first half of next year and then drop it around August 2025. That would be my guess.
They would be announcing it at Nintendo direct this year if they were planning a Christmas 2024 release.
Yeah I think you’re right. Not enough notice for a 2024 release.
Adults buying it for themselves have gotten it already. Purchases for children will be around Christmas. Any big announcements or trailers will catch the attention of parents and family that don’t follow rumours.
Enthusiast will buy early, but they don’t make up long term console sales and non release game sales.