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A new report suggests that Nintendo’s successor to the Switch is already in the works — in fact, it may be here as early as the middle of next year. If that’s the case, what kinds of games might we expect for a new Nintendo console? While no games have been announced for that currently unconfirmed console yet, Nintendo has announced a few games that could line up with the consoles alleged release window. Of course, this is pure speculation on our part.
The report comes from VGC says that Nintendo sent dev kits for the upcoming console to partner studios. It also alleges that the upcoming console could launch sometime in the second half of 2024. There are no concrete details on the hardware, but it’s possible that it will be backwards compatible with current-generation Switch titles. If so, that would certainly boost the library of potential games users can play at launch.
For the most part, Nintendo’s list of annouced upcoming games that are coming to the Switch later this year. This includes Super Mario Wonder, Detective Pikachu 2, WarioWare: Move It and a Super Mario RPG remaster — all of which launch before the end of 2023. It’s slate of games beyond that is less defined. There are, however, a few titles without release dates that could launch in late 2024 alongside a new console.
What games could launch with the Switch 2?
Mario titles have always dovetailed well with Nintendo console releases (including the Switch itself, where Super Mario Odyssey released a few months after launch). Additionally, Nintendo might be interested in capitalizing on the success of the Mario movie. The only new Mario title we know of is the untitled Princess Peach game, which is coming to Switch — though that doesn’t preclude it coming to the Switch 2 (as we’ll call the console for simplicity’s sake). However, there are rumors that the 3D Mario team is working on a new Donkey Kong game, which would also make for a good launch title.
Another strong contender in Nintendo’s stable of franchises is the announced but thus far elusive Metroid Prime 4. The most recent entries to the franchise, Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered, both sold very well (Dread was the best-selling game in the franchise). Nintendo might target the Switch 2’s launch for Metroid Prime 4, especially if it’s a good showcase of the upcoming console’s capabilities.
One factor to consider is that Nintendo’s launch titles tend to take advantage of a console’s “gimmick,” if it has one. Arms, for example, was a perfect showcase of the Joy-Con controllers. There’s no indication what gimmick, if any, the Switch 2 will have, so it’s hard to judge from that. However, one of the most solid games from the Switch generation is Mario Kart 8. Nintendo has given it several new waves of content through the end of the year, keeping it alive, but it has been several years since the last one launched.
Other contenders are the new Professor Layton game, New World of Steam, which would echo previous game Miracle Mask being a 3DS launch title (at least in Japan). Similarly, titles like Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy and Hollow Knight Silksong would be strong follow-ups to the previous games’ launches on Switch.
Backwards compatibility
One of the rumors included in the VGC report is that the Switch 2 might be backwards-compatible with the Switch. While this obviously can’t be confirmed, a remark reported by analyst Dave Gibson in 2022 during a Nintendo Q&A suggests the company is interested in bringing the Switch’s roughly 98 million users over to the next-gen console. If true, it could indicate the Switch 2 will be able to play Switch.
It would also mean that any of the games listed as upcoming for the Switch will likely be for its successor as well. This would give the Switch 2 access to a wide library of games, though it’ll mean that at least the first iteration of the console will need a cartridge slot. Nintendo may not be interested in making physical hardware backwards-compatible, though it may offer a digital transfer system — perhaps through the Switch Online service. That would drive up sales of Switch Online subscriptions during the Switch 2’s launch window.
No matter which way the next Nintendo console goes — whether its backwards-compatible with Switch cartridges or it builds a completely new library — the company has several prospects for launch titles for the new console if it does, indeed, launch late next year.
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