Nintendo to Skip Gamescom 2024

Nintendo of Europe has confirmed that the company won’t be attending this year’s Gamescom, smashing any hopes of getting a glimpse at the upcoming Switch 2 for the time being.

“Gamescom is a central event in Nintendo’s event calendar. This year, however, after careful consideration, we decided against taking part in Cologne,” said a Nintendo of Europe spokesperson in an interview with the German website Games Wirtschaft. “Instead, players can try out the games for Nintendo Switch as part of other Germany-wide events.”

The exhibitor list for Gamescom 2024 has yet to be announced. This year’s event will take place in Cologne, Germany from August 21-25.

During last year’s Gamescom, Nintendo showed off the Switch 2 in tech demos, though these weren’t shown to the public.

In February, it was reported that the next Nintendo console was slated to hit shelves in early 2025, unfortunately bumped back from a 2024 release. The reason for the delay is unclear, though many speculate the company hopes to develop more first-party software for the new console. Others believe that potential hardware supply issues could hinder the Switch 2’s release if released this year.

Last week, Nintendo discontinued online services for the 3DS and Wii U consoles. Games can still be played offline, but all co-op play, leaderboard rankings, and PvP matches will no longer be available.

“This is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time,” Nintendo said in a statement released in 2023. “We are providing this notice more than a year in advance of the end of purchases so users will have plenty of time to prepare.”