Developers Told Not to Expect Nintendo Switch 2 to Launch in Current Financial Year: Report

Nintendo Switch 2 is set to arrive next year, with reports from early this year claiming that the next-generation hybrid console will likely launch in March 2025. Nintendo, too, confirmed in May that it would announce the successor to the Switch during the financial year ending March 2025. It seems, however, that the company's next console may not launch in the current financial year. Game developers have reportedly been told not to expect the Nintendo Switch 2 to arrive before April 2025, which would push the release timeline for the device beyond the financial year 2025.

Nintendo Switch 2 Expected Launch Timeline

The information comes from the GamesIndustry.biz's podcast, which claims that Nintendo's next console is not coming out this financial year.

“When Nintendo revealed their financials, they said they were going to announce the successor to the Switch in the next financial year. They didn't say they were going to release it,” Chris Dring, head of games B2B at the publication, said during the latest episode of the GamesIndustry.biz Microcast. “In previous financial years when they have released a new console, they normally say they're going to release a new console,” he added.

Dring also claimed that game developers were not expecting the Nintendo Switch 2 to be released in the current financial year. “No developer I've spoken to expects it to be launching in this financial year,” he said. “In fact, they've been told not to expect it the financial year. A bunch of people I spoke to hope it's out in April, May time, still early next year, not late.”

The claims align with Nintendo's official update on the Switch successor. In May, the company said that it planned to make an announcement on the Nintendo Switch 2 during the financial year ending March 2025. While Nintendo may officially announce the Switch 2 by the end of March 2025, the actual launch of the console may follow later.

Nintendo has not given out any details about its next console, but it is likely to retain the Switch's hybrid form factor with better hardware specifications. The Switch is still going strong sinch it launched in March 2017, selling over 140 million units. It is the third highest selling console of all time, behind only the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo DS.

Despite the Switch 2 being on the horizon, the Japanese company has announced new games for the Nintendo Switch, including a new The Legend of Zelda title, set to release later this year. Nintendo expects to sell 13.5 million Switch units in the current financial year.