Nintendo has confirmed its Switch successor will be backward compatible with Switch games.
Company president Shuntaro Furukawa shared the news earlier this morning. Writing on social media platform X, Furukawa said:
“At today’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch.”
In addition, Furukawa confirmed Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the company’s next console, which for now has been dubbed ‘Switch 2‘. According to Nintendo, there are over 34 million Switch Online members as of 30th September, 2024.
While Furukawa made no mention specifically about issues such as cartridges, the exec said more information on the Switch successor will be shared at “a later date”.
CEO of Japanese game industry consultancy Kantan Games Serkan Toto noted Nintendo’s stock saw a boost following confirmation of the Switch 2’s backwards compatibility. It closed up at +5.80 percent at 3:30pm Japan time on Wednesday, the industry analyst said.
“Investors think this is a sign Nintendo’s next device will not be a risky experiment but rather a continuation,” Toto wrote on X.
Elsewhere in its Corporate Management Policy Briefing, Nintendo highlighted several upcoming Switch games set to release in 2025. These include Pokémon Legends Z-A, for which we are yet to see gameplay for, leading many to assume this could also be a Switch 2 launch title. Metroid Prime 4 is also listed on Nintendo’s slate for next year.
The company said the Nintendo Switch is being played by over 100 million people worldwide, with that number covering every age range from children to seniors. It added “more software has been played on Nintendo Switch than on any other Nintendo hardware”.
Following confirmation of its existence in May, Nintendo is set to officially announce its next console by the end of March, 2025. However, it is unlikely to reveal anything this calendar year, analysts say.
Nintendo recently revised down its expectations for total Switch console and game sales. As Tom reported yesterday, Switch hardware sales were down 31 percent year-on-year for the three months ending 30th September. The company has now cut its total Switch sales forecast for the financial year to 12.5m, down from the 13.5m it expected previously.
Most recent figures state the Nintendo Switch stands at 146.04m total units sold.