Switch 2: Why does Nintendo keep pushing back the release?

The release of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been delayed until April 2024 at the earliest. But why is Nintendo postponing the release of the console despite all the rumors?

Hamburg – The Nintendo Switch just can't be killed. In the meantime, the console has been around for over six years since its release. And an end... yes, is there an end in sight for the Nintendo Switch soon? Nintendo itself recently put off players until April 2024 at the earliest, but if insiders are to be believed, a successor to the Nintendo Switch has been scratching at the door for years. So why is the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 postponed again and again?

Switch 2: Of course, Nintendo is working on a successor console

Is Nintendo even working on a Switch 2? There is no doubt that this is the case. Maybe it has a different name, but most of the work on the Switch 2 is most likely already complete and developers are provided with dev kits of the console. There were already reports on this from Bloomberg in 2020. At that time, a Nintendo Switch Pro was still being discussed. However, factors such as chip shortages and the pandemic, which also caused PS5 and Xbox to stumble, presumably caused Nintendo to cancel the finished console.

In the spring, there was already a lot of rumbling in the rumor mill. Tears of the Kingdom will bury the Switch as the last big title and an announcement of the Switch 2 is coming up for the summer. Two predictions that have so far neither come true nor been refuted. But there might be some truth to the first rumor. After Tears of the Kingdom, it looks pretty empty in the release schedule of the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo itself actually only has Pikmin 4 up its sleeve – no other heavyweights are planned for the coming months.

Switch 2: Why does Nintendo keep pushing back the release? © Nintendo | Nintendo Switch Up Concept by Olivier Raymond

On the other hand, a Nintendo Direct has not yet been announced for the summer. And this despite the fact that all competitors such as Sony and Microsoft have already held or will hold a similar presentation. So far, only Nintendo has been asked. So far, they have only announced that they want to visit this year's Gamescom again after last year's absence.

And even if it comes to the big show, players should not expect a shadow drop of the Nintendo Switch 2 for the Christmas business. As Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently announced in an interview with Bloomberg, the company will not release a new console in fiscal 2023. So fans will have to wait until at least April 2024 for the release of the Switch 2.

Switch 2: Nintendo should be afraid of the release of the new console

Why would Nintendo release a new Switch in the first place? Maybe a stupid question for fans, but Nintendo should feel little pressure to rush to release a Switch 2 now. Because it's going well. Tears of the Kingdom sells like sliced bread on hardware that is over six years old. The Nintendo Switch has sold over 125 million units so far and continues to sell. The numbers may be stagnating at the moment, but it is not entirely insignificant that Nintendo has not decided to reduce the price of the Switch since its release.

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Nintendo Switch 2: Release of the new console no longer this year © Nintendo Switch Up Concept by Olivier Raymond

So Nintendo's biggest ace is still deep up its sleeve. A drop in the price of the console is likely to make many undecided gamers pull out their wallets. It's just too good to take the step into the next generation with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Because Nintendo is likely to dread that anyway. Switching from one console to the next has never been easy for the Japanese. At the latest, the disastrous jump from Wii to WiiU should still give Nintendo sleepless nights.

We are sure that the Nintendo Switch 2 is currently in full swing in the background. New games for the console are also likely to be in advanced stages of their development. But why not wait a little longer with the release? Why not take full advantage of the life cycle of the Nintendo Switch and make some cash?

Tears of the Kingdom proves: Good things take time © Nintendo

This can also bring advantages for fans. Tears of the Kingdom recently impressively proved how good a little longer waiting time can do to the finished product. The actual game was already finished a year before release and was certainly published by many a publisher. For the next 12 months, only the finishing touches were taken care of. Perhaps Nintendo will now take this philosophy to heart for the release of the Switch 2.