A brand new report means that Nintendo’s successor to the Swap is already within the works — in truth, it might be right here as early as the center of subsequent 12 months. If that’s the case, what sorts of video games would possibly we count on for a brand new Nintendo console? Whereas no video games have been introduced for that at present unconfirmed console but, Nintendo has introduced a couple of video games that might line up with the consoles alleged launch window. In fact, that is pure hypothesis on our half.

The report comes from VGC says that Nintendo despatched dev kits for the upcoming console to associate studios. It additionally alleges that the upcoming console may launch someday within the second half of 2024. There aren’t any concrete particulars on the {hardware}, nevertheless it’s attainable that will probably be backwards appropriate with current-generation Swap titles. If that’s the case, that would definitely increase the library of potential video games customers can play at launch.

For essentially the most half, Nintendo’s record of annouced upcoming video games which might be coming to the Swap later this 12 months. This consists of Tremendous Mario Surprise, Detective Pikachu 2, WarioWare: Transfer It and a Tremendous Mario RPG remaster — all of which launch earlier than the top of 2023. It’s slate of video games past that’s much less outlined. There are, nonetheless, a couple of titles with out launch dates that might launch in late 2024 alongside a brand new console.

What video games may launch with the Swap 2?

Mario titles have at all times dovetailed properly with Nintendo console releases (together with the Swap itself, the place Tremendous Mario Odyssey launched a couple of months after launch). Moreover, Nintendo could be all for capitalizing on the success of the Mario film. The one new Mario title we all know of is the untitled Princess Peach sport, which is coming to Swap — although that doesn’t preclude it coming to the Swap 2 (as we’ll name the console for simplicity’s sake). Nonetheless, there are rumors that the 3D Mario crew is engaged on a brand new Donkey Kong sport, which might additionally make for launch title.

One other sturdy contender in Nintendo’s steady of franchises is the introduced however to date elusive Metroid Prime 4. The newest entries to the franchise, Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered, each offered very properly (Dread was the best-selling sport within the franchise). Nintendo would possibly goal the Swap 2’s launch for Metroid Prime 4, particularly if it’s showcase of the upcoming console’s capabilities.

One issue to contemplate is that Nintendo’s launch titles are likely to make the most of a console’s “gimmick,” if it has one. Arms, for instance, was an ideal showcase of the Pleasure-Con controllers. There’s no indication what gimmick, if any, the Swap 2 may have, so it’s onerous to guage from that. Nonetheless, one of the vital strong video games from the Swap technology is Mario Kart 8. Nintendo has given it a number of new waves of content material via the top of the 12 months, retaining it alive, nevertheless it has been a number of years for the reason that final one launched.

Different contenders are the brand new Professor Layton sport, New World of Steam, which might echo earlier sport Miracle Masks being a 3DS launch title (a minimum of in Japan). Equally, titles like Apollo Justice: Ace Lawyer Trilogy and Hole Knight Silksong could be sturdy follow-ups to the earlier video games’ launches on Swap.

Backwards compatibility

One of many rumors included within the VGC report is that the Swap 2 could be backwards-compatible with the Swap. Whereas this clearly can’t be confirmed, a comment reported by analyst Dave Gibson in 2022 throughout a Nintendo Q&A suggests the corporate is all for bringing the Swap’s roughly 98 million customers over to the next-gen console. If true, it may point out the Swap 2 will be capable of play Swap.

It might additionally imply that any of the video games listed as upcoming for the Swap will probably be for its successor as properly. This may give the Swap 2 entry to a large library of video games, although it’ll imply that a minimum of the primary iteration of the console will want a cartridge slot. Nintendo is probably not all for making bodily {hardware} backwards-compatible, although it might provide a digital switch system — maybe via the Swap On-line service. That might drive up gross sales of Swap On-line subscriptions in the course of the Swap 2’s launch window.

Regardless of which means the following Nintendo console goes — whether or not its backwards-compatible with Swap cartridges or it builds a totally new library — the corporate has a number of prospects for launch titles for the brand new console if it does, certainly, launch late subsequent 12 months.