Nintendo has officially announced they will continue to support the Nintendo Switch.
As shared on ResetERA by user Neat, Nintendo made this statement in a slide on their latest financial report to investors:
Going forward, we will continue to bring out new titles for the over 100 million people worldwide who are playing Nintendo Switch.
The financial report also confirmed these titles that have been announced for the Switch, and their respective release dates:
- Pokemon Z-A Legends – Late 2025
- Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – 2025
- Rhythm Heaven Groove – 2026
- Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream – 2026
- Pokémon Champions – TBD
This clarifies a quote taken from Nintendo of America Doug Bowser, from an interview from last month. Talking to CBC News about the steeper entry price point for the Switch 2, Bowser said this:
We recognize there are some people that may not be able to afford [the Switch 2’s] price point. That’s why we wanted to make the other Switch platforms available, so [people] still have an opportunity to come into our gaming universe, be a part of these characters in these worlds, and see value, if you will, in whatever rung of the platform they come in.
Some gamers and even games press uncharitably took this quote to be similar to Don Mattrick’s quote about the Xbox 360, but clearly, those folks don’t remember Mattrick’s full quote. Mattrick’s full statement was that Xbox 360 was an option for gamers who don’t have an internet connection. That quote was not about gamers who couldn’t afford an Xbox One, like some fans might have misremembered, but about defending the Xbox One’s always online status. And this quote was additionally obnoxious, because it reflected Mattrick’s own ignorance that online services were a central feature of the Xbox console family since the first Xbox in 2001.
Bowser clearly demonstrates a better understanding of what gamers see, as well as where the industry is, when it comes to the Switch and the Switch 2. While Nintendo hasn’t confirmed support for the Switch beyond 2026 yet, they’ve made it very clear that the original Switch very much remains a going concern for the company. One can’t help but wonder about the Nintendo Switch Online Playtests from last year. Were those tests, that seem to be for a Roblox-like UGC focused online multiplayer game, intended for an original future game to keep Switch users happy? Will we see features from those Playtests appear in games like Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream?
Whatever their projects are, continuing Switch support is clearly a wedge to see if pushing to the higher cost market with the Switch 2 will be worth it for Nintendo or not. Nintendo may finally follow the rat race with Sony and Microsoft moving forward, or they may take a step back in the next generation if the Switch doesn’t turn out to be successful in all the ways Nintendo hopes. Does that prospect scare you or excite you? Thankfully, there’s a way for you to tell Nintendo what direction you want them to take, and that’s with your wallet.
