Nintendo breaks silence on new console... sort of

A pair of hands holds a Nintendo Switch console in an outdoor - garden - environment. On the screen is a shot from Animal Crossing - two characters are in conversation, as denoted by an on-screen dialogue box. — Image caption,

Sales of the Nintendo Switch were boosted by games such as pandemic smash-hit Animal Crossing

By Tom Richardson

BBC Newsbeat

Nintendo has finally broken its silence on the successor to its smash-hit Switch – but don't get too excited.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting news on the console for months, but little official information has emerged.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has now promised an announcement at some point before March 2025.

But he also said there would be no mention of the new machine at the company's Nintendo Direct event next month.

In a post on X, the boss of the Japanese company, said: "It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015."

He said next month's Direct would focus on the "Nintendo Switch software line-up for the latter half of 2024".

"But please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation," he said, adding that this information would arrive "within this fiscal year".

The company holds several of the trailer showcases each year, and recent outings have sparked masses of speculation about whether the "Switch 2" – as fans have unofficially called the new machine – would appear.

Other announcements, such as the reveal of upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A, have also sent the rumour mill into overdrive.

A plastic statue of Mario - complete with blue dungarees and red plumber's hat with a letter M on the brim, stands next to a Nintendo Switch demo unit. It's a large screen on a plinth with two controllers attached. On the screen is footage of Mario in a go-kart from Mario Kart. In the background are red shelves stocked with rows of Nintendo Switch games and accessories. — Image caption,

Fans might have to wait a little bit longer for news on Mario's next major console game

There's never been much doubt that Nintendo was working on something – the original Switch has sold more than 130 million units since it was released in 2017.

It hasn't seen too many blockbuster releases since last year's Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Wonder.

The company has released Mario Vs. Donkey Kong and Princess Peach: Showtime! this year, but beyond remakes of Luigi's Mansion 2 and role-playing game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, no further in-house titles are planned.

There are also complaints that the seven-year-old console struggles to run some newer games.

Over the past year, various rumours and alleged leaks about the new machine's capabilities have emerged, but nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo itself.

But we can now say, with confidence, that we'll know something by the end of this (financial) year.