Despite the fact that we still don’t know when Nintendo’s next major console will launch, what it’ll look like or even what it’s called (with “Switch 2” being the publicly-accepted temporary moniker), the company has now confirmed at least one big-ticket item when it comes to wishlist features for the successor to its market-dominating hybrid handheld.
Taking to social media in one of his occasional, direct statements, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa shared the news that the Switch’s successor will feature backwards compatibility with Nintendo Switch software, and also that the Nintendo Switch Online service will continue on for the new hardware. The post stops short of revealing whether this applies to physical cartridges as well as digital games.
“This is Furukawa,” the post reads. “At today’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about the successor to Nintendo Switch, including its compatibility with Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date.”
This is Furukawa. At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about…
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024
The post also mentions that we’ll learn more about the next major bit of Nintendo console hardware and any other Switch compatibility information “at a later date,” re-confirming what we already know – that a proper reveal is slated to happen at any point between now and March 31st, 2025.
The company is no doubt fixing to start pushing its next generation of hardware sooner rather than later, having adjusted its sales forecast for the current Nintendo Switch for its FY25, after slower-than-expected sales for the first half of the fiscal year and few major software releases left on the cards after Mario & Luigi: Brothership launches tomorrow and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD drops in January.
Kieron's been gaming ever since he could first speak the words "Blast Processing" and hasn't lost his love for platformers and JRPGs since. A connoisseur of avant-garde indie experiences and underground cult classics, Kieron is a devout worshipper at the churches of Double Fine and Annapurna Interactive, to drop just a couple of names.
