Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa says
Switch games will continue to be released until March 2025.
As
VGC reports, Furukawa gave an interview with Japanese publication
Nikkei where he confirmed that Nintendo's focus will remain on the existing
Switch hardware until March 2024. However, Switch games will continue to be released for another year after that.
Typically, when a new console is released the existing hardware continues to be supported for a year or two afterward. Furukawa's comments therefore make sense when you consider a Switch 2 is expected to launch in 2024.
Between now and March next year, Furukawa says the focus will be on maximizing holiday season sales and "new demand for the hardware, but also for those buying second consoles and replacements." We've already had one recent example of Nintendo trying to entice more Switch hardware purchases with the
limited-edition Mario Red OLED Switch set to go on sale later this week.
The clearest hint yet that a Switch 2 is arriving next year came last month when Nintendo showed game developers a version of
Breath of the Wild running on Switch 2 hardware behind closed doors at Gamescom. Such demonstrations usually precede developers signing up to receive development kits so they can start working on games for the new system.
We don't know exactly when the Switch 2 will launch, but Furukawa stating the focus moves away from the Switch in March suggests a March or April launch next year is most likely. For reference, the original Switch launched on March 3, 2017.
