Fans Have Moved to Switch 2, but Nintendo Plans to Release Original Switch Titles for the Foreseeable Future

Nintendo has released their Second Quarter Financial Report, and with it has come some surprising information as over 10 million units have already been sold; however, this will not impact Nintendo's plans to continue supporting the Original Nintendo Switch which has sold over 153 million to date.

According to the report, 84% of Nintendo Switch 2 players also owned an original Switch. These customers include those who purchased the Switch back in 2017, and purchases prior to the release of the Switch 2. Nintendo went on to say that there is no specific period for when users began upgrading to the new hardware, with its users uniformly migrating since the Switch 2's June release.

With so many users already abandoning the old hardware, some might think Nintendo themselves would follow suit; however, that is not the case.

During a recent Q & A session with shareholders, Nintendo made it clear the original Switch hardware is not going away anytime soon, and they will continue developing titles for the platform despite shifting their main focus to the Switch 2.

As stated by President and CEO Shuntaro Furukawa:

While our development resources will be shifting primarily to the Switch 2, we will continue to develop Switch software and plan to release new titles in the future.

Furthermore, with software development costs rising and development times lengthening, it's becoming more difficult than ever to consistently release new titles. Since the Switch 2 can also play Switch games, we hope to recommend Switch software to consumers picking up a gaming console for the first time. Given this, we believe that maintaining momentum for the Switch 2 business will depend on balancing the release of new titles and ensuring that classic titles remain enjoyable for a long time. 

The strategy is nothing new for Nintendo, but it shows the adoption rate for the Switch 2 hasn't impacted their original plans. Typically Nintendo will continue supporting their older hardware for the following years, and release titles developed specifically for the previous device.

With the Nintendo Switch things are a bit different however, as Switch titles can be played on the Switch 2. This has lead Nintendo to release games such as Super Mario Galaxy on the Switch, while providing a free Switch 2 update to further improve visuals, loading time, and framerate. Full Switch 2 version upgrades on the other hand are typically paid expansions.

For more on Shuntaro Furukawa's statement, here is a full translation of the questions regarding the original Switch hardware.

Translation:

Q1: Has the frequency of new title releases changed compared to the Nintendo Switch era? Also, please tell us how you plan to balance development resources to develop new titles and manage existing titles. Until now, the stock market has focused primarily on the number of new titles released each year, but with the Nintendo Switch 2, I have the impression that individual titles are enjoying a longer lifespan because they can also play Switch software. I'm sure many users were surprised by the recent major update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Furthermore, with the Switch 2's improved performance, developing new software has become more challenging, and I feel that many aspects of the situation are changing.

President and CEO Shuntaro Furukawa:
While our development resources will be shifting primarily to the Switch 2, we will continue to develop Switch software and plan to release new titles in the future.

Our dedicated video game business is based on first popularizing the hardware and then continuously releasing new titles. We achieved this balance during the Switch generation, resulting in many titles becoming long-lasting staples and maintaining the momentum of the platform as a whole. For the Switch 2, we believe it's extremely important not only to continually release new titles, but also to ensure that they continue to sell well throughout the platform's lifecycle.

Furthermore, with software development costs rising and development times lengthening, it's becoming more difficult than ever to consistently release new titles. Since the Switch 2 can also play Switch games, we hope to recommend Switch software to consumers picking up a gaming console for the first time. Given this, we believe that maintaining momentum for the Switch 2 business will depend on balancing the release of new titles and ensuring that classic titles remain enjoyable for a long time.

Shinya Takahashi, Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer:

Our development team is always striving to deliver new titles at a steady pace.

With that in mind, we also intend to continue to value updates like the Animal Crossing: New Horizons update we announced recently. We are constantly considering the balance between developing all-new titles and new series for the Switch 2 and updating the Switch software. We are working to expand our development capabilities in both quality and quantity by deepening collaboration with new collaborators in addition to existing partners. Furthermore, we intend to allocate substantial funds for R&D investments as necessary.

Q2: Regarding future sales momentum for the Switch 2 hardware and the target customer demographic for future expansion:

Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2026 Second Quarter Financial Results Briefing/Management Policy Briefing Q&A (Summary) Nintendo Co., Ltd.

I would like to know more about the Switch 2 hardware. Currently, sales are primarily focused on existing Switch users. Do you think there is still room for growth among existing users? Or are you planning to gradually focus on developing new users?

Furukawa:
When launching the Switch 2, we wanted to build on the high utilization rate of the Switch and encourage all Switch owners to purchase it. While Switch 2 hardware sales will exceed 10 million units as of the end of September 2025, there is still a significant gap between this and the total Switch hardware sales of over 150 million units.

For the time being, we expect that existing Switch owners will continue to purchase the Switch 2 primarily. At the same time, we will strive to convey the appeal of the Switch 2 to new customers through software releases and other means.

Furthermore, we have found that the timing at which customers who switched from Switch to Switch 2 began playing the Switch is not concentrated within a specific period. We have found that customers who purchased the Switch at various times, from shortly after its release in 2017 through the present, have transitioned to the Switch 2 evenly.

For more you can read the complete Q & A session here.