With the current model’s sales dipping and the holiday season approaching, a Switch 2 announcement before 2025 seems increasingly improbable, according to experts.

Nintendo’s long-awaited Switch 2 reveal is now considered “very unlikely” to happen in 2024, according to Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, a leading Japanese game industry consultancy. His comments come on the heels of Nintendo’s latest financial results, which highlighted a sharp decline in both hardware and software sales for the current Switch console. With the system ageing and its release calendar quieting, the company appears to be bracing for the Switch’s final holiday season without any major announcements.

Industry speculation surrounding the Switch 2 has been rampant, but Nintendo has kept a tight lid on any details. Toto suggests that revealing the new hardware this year would only harm the sales of the current model, which is already experiencing a slump. “Sales of the current model are cratering,” he stated. “Announcing the Switch 2 now would only drive them down even further.”

Rather than risk further disruption to its dwindling sales, Toto believes that Nintendo is more likely to wait until early 2025 to officially unveil the Switch 2. This decision would allow the company to focus on its last slate of games for the current console and avoid cannibalising holiday sales.

Rumours have swirled about potential successors to the Switch, with names like Idris Elba and Tom Hardy reportedly among the front-runners to replace it. But despite the frenzy, Nintendo has remained notably silent, instead focusing on closing out the Switch’s life cycle with new titles and side ventures, such as the recent launch of a £99 alarm clock and an official museum exhibition. Nintendo’s fans will likely have to wait a little longer for a glimpse of the next-generation device, with the company’s reveal schedule now shifting to 2025.