When Will the Successor of the Nintendo Switch Arrive?

It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch is one of the most successful consoles ever released. Nintendo successfully turned the tide with this console after WiiU, its predecessor, had an underwhelming commercial performance.

The console is so popular that most are surprised it’s still moving forward with new titles, including major ones, five years after its release. Many analysts claimed its outdated tech would make it short-lived, but the console’s continuous selling performance proved them wrong.

However, analysts and fans have long expected a new iteration of the console, be it a completely new system or an upgrade of the current one. Which is more likely to happen, and when?

How Popular Nintendo Switch Is

As you know, video games have become mainstream entertainment for a long time. Some claim the massive success of the Nintendo Wii paved the way for mass video game adoption. Nowadays, playing games is as common as watching TV, listening to music, playing in an online cazino or enjoying any other form of electronic entertainment.

But how popular is the Switch? Its numbers are constantly growing, but to have a general idea, this console has helped Nintendo amass $60 billion until 2021. It’s the third best-selling console of all time, and the other two, Game Boy and DS, are also Nintendo systems.

But perhaps the most impressive number is how many games this console has sold. Up to the beginning of 2022, 766 million games were sold for the Nintendo Switch.

With such a vast consumer base for the Switch, it’s logical that Nintendo will try to squeeze it dry. After all, developing a new gaming system is very expensive, and chances of it becoming a commercial failure are always present.

What’s the Timeline for a New Release?

Nintendo has been entirely silent about new hardware when asked about it. Fans were very vocal about the prospect of Nintendo releasing an upgraded version, dubbing it “Switch Pro,” which so far didn’t happen.

Later, people started to wonder about the Switch 2, or whatever its successor would be called. While there’s no official information, speculation abounds. Even though nobody knows when the Switch 2 will be released, some milestones point to how long the Switch will continue being Nintendo’s current console.

One of them is the release of the next Zelda game. This franchise is one of the best-selling ones for Nintendo, and the previous game, Breath of the Wild, was received with critical acclaim and commercial success. The next iteration, called “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”, will be released on May 12, 2023.

Why the Switch Is Still Current

The issue many pointed out when the Switch was released was that it had outdated hardware. Five years later, its hardware is not getting any newer. However, massive AAA titles have been released and ported to the console, such as The Witcher 3 and No Man’s Sky, which run very well.

Developers are keen on releasing their best-selling titles on this console since it has many adopters. This may prolong the Switch’s life beyond anyone’s expectations.