Opinion: When Will Nintendo Reveal Their Next-Generation Console? | Talkin' Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch 2! More realistically Nintendo's next-generation console, but for the purpose of simplicity, let's call it the Switch 2. I don't need to get into all the details about this heavily rumored console. You've seen the rumors, I've seen the rumors, so there's no need to summarize all that. But what I'm here to discuss today is the potential reveal timing of this console. There has been no indication as to when Nintendo will officially announce the Switch 2, other than unofficial (yet reputable) reports that it's planned for a 2024 release. I personally think there are three general time frames as to when Nintendo will announce their new console. So, without any further ado, allow me to speculate when the big reveal will take place.
As previously stated, reputable sources have reported that Nintendo plans to launch the Switch sometime in 2024, likey in the second half of the year, but possibly even sooner. In the past, there were times when I thought that this very year we are in right now would have been the launch of the Switch successor. I had crossed my fingers that a release alongside Tears of the Kingdom would have been possible, but we are currently in October, well past that time frame. So now my speculation has been all over the place as of late. Day after day Youtuber’s and Twitter/X ‘leakers’ always add more and more to the rumor mill of Switch 2. And don't get me wrong, I myself am guilty of delving into that speculation and giving into their attention seeking and clickbait titles. But at the end of the day, there have been very few reliable reports that we can believe beyond a reasonable doubt have actually discussed the Switch 2. A first one is the one linked in the intro of this blog post, and a second one popped up in August after Gamescom; reporting that Nintendo showed dev kits behind closed doors to partner developers. These reports highlight a few things such as the existence of the console, specifications, what games could run etc… but one thing doubled down on is that the general expectation is that the console will launch sometime in 2024. Thus, in speculating on the potential of an official announcement by Nintendo, I am keeping the assumption that behind the scenes, Nintendo has a 2024 release set in stone.
Alright, now for the good stuff! When will the Nintendo console officially be revealed, not launched, but revealed. I think it’s important that I mention that distinction because a reveal doesn’t have to be over the top showing us everything, and more importantly also does not mean available to the public. What I’m speculating on can simply be boiled down to Nintendo confirming the existence of the next-generation console and showing it off in some capacity. In the past few months I have been all over the map, or should I say calendar, as to when Nintendo will possibly drop such an announcement. But after careful consideration I believe there are three month options we can keep our eyes on: November, March, and June/July (I know that last one technically encompasses 2 months, but I guess what I am implying with that one is ‘early Summer of 2024’). I will now elaborate on why these potential time frames are candidates for a reveal as well as how likely each is.
So why November? And yes I mean November 2023, as in next month! Right off the bat let me just say that out of the three time frames I’m speculating on, this is by far the least likely option I see coming to fruition. However, my rationale for speculating this is a pretty simple one without much substance to it: If Nintendo plans to announce the console in 2023, this would be the month to do it. October is already a busy month not just for Nintendo, but gaming in general. We got Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Sonic Superstars, Alan Wake II, and the big one of the month, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. It is way too hectic of a month for a console announcement. December does have the Game Awards so it’s a possibility, but I personally don’t see it. It’s super close to Christmas and I doubt Nintendo’s marketing team would make a decision that would ramp up workload so close to their holiday break. So that leaves November, which I can hear you arguing “But that’s so close to Black Friday, it’ll cannibalize holiday Switch sales!!” And to that I say, yes you are absolutely right… to an extent. While yes a casual consumer would immediately halt their decision to buy a Switch this Black Friday if they heard another better console was on the horizon, two things to take note of is that 1) They still may want a Switch regardless of a new console launching soon after they buy it. In other words, they are fine with the catalog of Switch games already out and see no rush to upgrade to a newer console. Perhaps to this consumer, upgrading to the newer console can be a decision for Black Friday 2026. 2) A decent-ish chunk of Nintendo’s target segment are those looking to buy secondary Nintendo Switches. These consumers may be collectors who have been eyeing those special edition OLED models, and perhaps a new console reveal will be what pushes them over the edge to buy such models. They may see a Switch 2 announcement and think “Oh cool! I guess I should get that TOTK OLED now then! Before they become harder to find in retail stores”. So yeah, a November 2023 reveal may not be as outlandish as you may think, especially if the console is actually planned for release before the second half of 2024; in other words, Spring 2024.
Moving on we got March 2024. Now this one seems like it could be likely, maybe even the most likely. March is a very important time for Nintendo for a few reasons, it’ll be after their usual February Nintendo Direct (which I am assuming we still get, albeit probably not as jam packed as the previous two we got), holiday sales numbers will be out by then, and most importantly… The end of March marks the end of the current, and beginning of a new fiscal year. The specific date is March 31st. The high ups at Nintendo will have their fiscal year earnings meeting this month so it would make sense to discuss the new system with their investors as many people at this meeting will be anticipating what Nintendo has in store for the future. And let me tell you, they could mention Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door, Metroid Prime 4, and other unannounced titles… but c’mon investors wanna see the next big thing! And to have the topic of discussion at this big yearly meeting be about next-generation hardware? From the standpoint of an investor, that would be perfect! So, why am I talking about the fiscal year and investors meetings all happening in March? Well my point is, if Nintendo is gonna talk about the Switch 2 with investors… the console has to be announced to the public before then! Remember the data from these meetings becomes public, you can go find the results shared from past meetings right now if you wanted to! And shareholders aren’t signed to NDA’s or anything. So imagine this: early March Nintendo drops a “Tune in on March ?? for a first look at the next-generation of Nintendo Switch gaming #Switch2” (It won’t be worded like that but just roll with it lol). We see the announcement video for the first time, we’re all going crazy on social media, the console is confirmed! Then later that same week, or a bit after, Nintendo has that investors meeting and go into great detail with their investors about their plan with this console. The fans are happy, investors and management are happy, and March 2024 is a high note for Nintendo that will be remembered for a while!
And now the last time frame: June/July 2024. Once again, I was hesitant on what exact month to predict here but the main premise is that I’m thinking “Early Summer 2024”. This time frame is the one I have personally been betting on for the past several months and am biased to believe is the most likely reveal timing. When I heard early speculation -before the VGC and Eurogamer reports - that 2024 could be the year the next-generation console releases. I immediately thought “Alright I see that! And they’d reveal it to us in June/July”. So why exactly has this time been at the forefront of my mind for months on end. Well it's quite a few factors really. Firstly if we are assuming a “Second half of 2024” release, the likely candidates for the console release would be October or November. Maybe you could squeeze in late September there as well. Point is I interpret “Second half of 2024 release” as “Fall 2024 release”, of course this release timing prediction of mine also factors in Black Friday, which I guarantee the console will be out by then. With a Fall 2024 release, I’d say a 4-5 month in advance announcement is likely in the month of June or July. An announcement at this time would give fans something to be hyped for all summer long, and it would also generate big word of mouth for Nintendo right before their holiday gaming lineup (remember, Nintendo still makes games lol). Also, specifically with June, we have seen this time become a staple for big announcements within the gaming industry. Who didn’t love getting hyped during E3 season?! And even though E3 is kinda dead now, there’s still Summer Game Fest, and a consistent pattern of Nintendo Directs that air in the month of June. Well what if Nintendo's “big gaming news” for June isn’t necessarily just a Nintendo Direct but instead (or also if we’re really lucky) a hardware announcement! I could realistically see this. Look, Metroid Prime 4 has to come out in 2024 and I’m sure it’ll be a cross-gen release that also serves as a showpiece for the graphical capabilities of the new console. So… let’s say Nintendo wants to show off Prime 4, a game capable of 4K gameplay, in a big blowout gameplay trailer in June. They kinda need the Switch 2 announced before they can do that. I think June has some big Nintendo news no matter what, but if it is just a Direct, the games showcased will have to be mindful of not looking too crisp and high quality otherwise eagle eyed fans will say “Wait a minute, Prime 4 is looking a bit too good on the Switch…” Announcing the console in the very same month such graphically impressive games will be showcased circumvents this issue. I’ll also say my little piece as to why I factored in July as a potential reveal month as well. The reasoning is quite simple really. In July of 2019, Nintendo announced the Switch lite releasing later that Fall. In July of 2021, Nintendo announced the Switch OLED releasing later that fall. Hmmm… I’m beginning to sense a pattern here! “Announcing the Nintendo Switch 2, launching later this Fall” will be what we see reposted and liked worldwide come July 2024! You can argue that this time it’s different because we’re dealing with a next-gen console rather than a new model, which I get. But hey if the Switch 2 comes out early November, July is still a reasonable month to announce it.
Whew, so there you have it, my speculations on when the Nintendo Switch 2 will be revealed. Each with their rationale and likelihood. Before this post wraps up though, I wanted to share the results of a poll I did at the end of September where I asked people when they think Nintendo’s next console will be revealed, using the discussed time frames as voting options. The poll had a super low number of respondents though, so the data here shouldn't be considered generalizable to a wider audience.
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