The Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be fully backward compatible with Switch titles. However, fans have been wondering for how long Nintendo would continue to release games for the original Switch.
Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa touched on the subject in the company's usual post-quarterly earnings Q&A with investors. The executive said that more original Switch games will be made, but at the same time, he highlighted the importance of Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives.
We have already announced Pokémon Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4 Beyond for Nintendo Switch in 2025. We will continue developing Nintendo Switch titles, but launching exclusive games for Nintendo Switch 2 is essential for its success. However, we aim to ensure a smooth transition between the two platforms.
This tells us that it may not be long before we get the first Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives, as Nintendo has a vested interest in getting users to transition from one generation to another. Besides, the original Switch is clearly on a downward trajectory for its sales, as evidenced even in the last quarter during which 'only' 4.82 million units were sold. Still, it was enough to allow the hybrid console to break the big 150 million sales milestone.
Third-party may leave behind the original Nintendo Switch even quicker. Since they already largely switched from PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X as the default targets for new games, it won't make much sense for them to spend time trying to make more complex titles fit the aging Switch hardware when there's a new platform with support for technologies like NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS).
As a reminder, the Nintendo Switch 2 is slated to launch later this year. Between April and June, hands-on events will take place worldwide; before that, on April 2, Nintendo will unveil many more details about the new console. So far, analysts have responded positively to the brief teaser trailer shared in January.
