Nintendo Confirms New Console Launch by March 2025, Ending Switch’s Era

Nintendo has officially confirmed that its next-generation console will launch before the end of March 2025, marking a definitive close to the Nintendo Switch’s remarkable lifecycle. The announcement came during the company’s recent earnings call, where President Shuntaro Furukawa stated that development on the new hardware is progressing smoothly and promised more details to come later in the fiscal year.

While Nintendo stopped short of revealing the name, specs, or design of the new system, Furukawa acknowledged that this will be the successor to the Switch, which debuted in March 2017 and has since sold over 139 million units worldwide. The console’s successful hybrid design, enabling both handheld and docked play, revolutionized the market and redefined the company’s trajectory after the underwhelming performance of the Wii U.

Speculation surrounding the successor—unofficially dubbed the “Switch 2” by fans and analysts—has been rampant for over a year. Leaks and patents suggest the device may retain the hybrid format while introducing upgraded computing power, improved Joy-Con technology, and backward compatibility with existing Switch titles. However, Nintendo has not confirmed any of these features.

Furukawa emphasized that while the Switch will continue to receive support through the remainder of its lifecycle, 2024 marks “the eighth year since the launch of Nintendo Switch,” hinting that the current console is nearing the end of its commercial prime. He also made it clear that there would be no new console announcements during the upcoming June Nintendo Direct, which will instead focus exclusively on software for the latter half of 2024.

With major titles like “Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD” and a new “Mario & Luigi” game still planned for this year, it’s clear Nintendo intends to give the Switch a proper sendoff. Still, the spotlight is now shifting toward what’s next—and whether Nintendo can replicate the Switch’s rare combination of innovation, accessibility, and blockbuster success.

Gamers and industry analysts alike will be watching closely as Nintendo prepares to usher in a new generation for one of gaming’s most beloved platforms.