Nintendo Outlines Big Plans for Switch 2
All eyes are on the Nintendo Switch 2 moving forward, but Nintendo isn’t quite ready to move away from the original Switch even as it starts talking more about its new hardware.
During its Feb. 4 earnings report, Nintendo confirmed the original Switch hit a new sales milestone, there are plenty of games still on the way, and the company has big plans to make sure the Switch 2 is a success—including a launch that will combat scalpers.
Nintendo Will Support Switch After Switch 2 Launch
While it might be obvious, Nintendo has now confirmed it will continue supporting the Nintendo Switch even after the Switch 2 releases.
We already know that the Switch 2 will feature nearly full backward compatibility with the original Switch and that several big games are still going to be released on the older hardware in 2025. Now, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the company plans to continue supporting the Switch 1 well into the future as long as there is demand for it.
Furukawa said (via VGC) he does not view Switch 2’s announcement as impacting sales for the original Switch just yet because there are still reasons to purchase the console. Even with declining sales overall, the company plans to support the Switch “as there is demand” from consumers to do so.
This likely means we will see Nintendo split its first-party development a bit more for the next several years, releasing a mix of games that are Switch 2 exclusive to take advantage of the upgraded hardware while also publishing games that can be enjoyed on the older console. Look at The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as an early preview since it was originally developed for the Wii U. There, it sold 1.7 million units but was released simultaneously on Switch, where it sold 32.62 million units as of Dec. 31.
Nintendo Switch Reaches Incredible Sales Milestone But is Fading Fast
While the Switch will still be supported, Nintendo has once again lowered its expectations for how many units the console will sell before the end of the fiscal year on March 31 despite hitting a historic milestone.
As of Dec. 31, the Nintendo Switch has sold 150.86 million units worldwide. That puts it just behind the Nintendo DS (154.02 million) and the PlayStation 2 (over 160 million) on the list of best-selling consoles of all-time.
Throughout the current fiscal year for Nintendo, it has sold 9.54 million Switch consoles. The company now expects to sell a total of 11 million compared to its initial forecast of 13.5 million which it previously reduced to 12.5 million in November.
Nintendo notes that the company views hardware and software as “solid for the eighth year” of the Switch despite the year-over-year decline continuing, dropping by more than four million units compared to the same timeframe in the 2024 fiscal year. Here is an updated look at some of the top-performing new Switch games from the last fiscal year:
- Super Mario Party Jamboree – 6.17 million
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – 3,91 million
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Remake – 2.06 million
- Mario & Luigi: Brothership – 1.84 million
- Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD – 1.80 million
Super Mario Party Jamboree set a new sales record for the franchise and was the top-selling title in the fiscal year. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also continues to dominate, selling an additional 5.83 million, reaching 67.35 million total units sold.
The expectation for Switch 1 console sales should fall even further for the next fiscal year due to the upcoming Switch 2 release even though Nintendo does have games like Pokémon Legends: Z-A scheduled to release on the original Switch.
Nintendo Plans to Stop Switch 2 Scalpers At Launch
Nintendo hasn’t shared a release date for the Switch 2 yet but the company is already taking steps to tackle scalpers when the console does release later this year.
“We will take all possible measures based on the experience we have accumulated to date (regarding scalpers and the like). We are making preparations,” Furukawa said to Nikkei (with translation via VGC).
This is something Nintendo has taken a stance on before, with Furukawa previously commenting in July 2024 that to counter resellers “the most important thing is to produce a sufficient number to meet customer demand” compared to the original Switch’s release.
“In addition to this, we are considering whether there are any other measures that can be taken to the extent allowed by laws and regulations, taking into account the circumstances of each region,” Furukawa said in the July 2024 call (via IGN.)
He added that the company has resolved the semiconductor component shortages that restricted supply of the Switch and the company does not expect shortages to affect the Switch 2's production.
This would line up with various insider reports that claim Nintendo delayed the Switch 2 out of a 2024 release, with Nikkei reporting that this was to counter resale markets and “ensure the initial inventory of the successor console and a lineup of software titles at the time of its launch.”
With all of this new info, we just need to wait for the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct in April to see just what Nintendo has planned for its new hardware.
