Huge mounting base
There are reasons to believe that Nintendo will not rush to focus solely on the Switch 2. The current Switch is one of the best-selling consoles of all time and therefore has a large mounting base, This means that the Switch game has a very large number of potential players. It will take some time installbase From the Switch 2 it is also quite large.
In this regard, there is definitely a reason to continue releasing games on the original Switch: they are likely to sell more in the first few years than on the Switch 2. So it is very rare for a successful console to lose all support immediately. Nintendo quickly left the failed Wii U behind, while the more successful 3DS continued to have the games for a while.
Among the competition we also see that there is one that exists installbase It is not simply ignored. Many games were also released for the PS5 and Xbox Series This may partly have to do with low inventory of newer consoles, but even in a normal situation, it was expected that older consoles would continue to receive support for a while.
Exclusives sell Switch 2
But how interesting it is installbase From Switch Also dedicated to Nintendo, there has to be a reason to buy a Switch 2. For many people, exclusive games will be that reason. If that many games make it to the Switch, it makes purchasing a Switch 2 less interesting.
It seems likely that games of a certain caliber will become Switch 2 exclusives. Think a new 3D Mario game or a big Zelda project. Smaller games, which may not necessarily need the power of the Switch 2, will likely be coming to the Switch for a while.
What kind of games might still be coming to Switch?
We shouldn’t expect a Switch 2 in the next six months. What Nintendo announces in the upcoming Direct in June for next fall is still available for Switch anyway. There are also some games already confirmed for 2025, which may be released when the Switch 2 actually releases.
For example, it’s possible that Pokémon Legends ZA will be released after Switch 2, but it’s already been confirmed that this game will (also?) be available for the current Switch. Professor Layton and the New World of Steam will be released at a time to be determined in 2025, possibly after the Switch 2. But it’s also possible that this game will be small enough to still appear on the original Switch.
Ongoing Switch support will vary by publisher
Ultimately, it’s not yet possible to say with certainty whether any games will be released for the original Switch, not even the titles mentioned above. While it’s possible that support for the console will continue after the Switch 2’s launch, the extent to which that happens will depend on the success of the Switch 2 and what different publishers feel like doing with different games.
From Nintendo’s perspective, it seems likely that there will be support for both consoles at least for a while. Other publishers might drop it right away, while others might stick around longer than Nintendo itself. For example, Just Dance was so popular on the Wii that a Wii version of the game was released in 2019. Given the popularity of the Switch, such extremes may happen again.
Overall, it seems unlikely that the Switch will be phased out as quickly as the Wii U. But since the goal is to sell the Switch 2 as well, it’s likely that smaller titles will be released on the Switch. Hopefully we’ll see how it turns out soon enough.
