Nintendo confirmed on Wednesday that the successor to the Nintendo Switch will support backwards compatibility with the Switch. At a company briefing, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa announced that Nintendo Switch software will be playable on the Switch 2. While announcing the company’s financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, Furukawa also reiterated that the successor to the Nintendo Switch will be announced during the current fiscal year. for the year ending March 31, 2025.

Nintendo Switch 2 backwards compatibility

Nintendo also confirmed that Nintendo Switch Online, the company’s Switch subscription service that provides access to online multiplayer, cloud saves, and a library of select games from older consoles, will be available on the Nintendo Switch 2.

“This is Furukawa. At today’s Corporate Governance Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor Nintendo Switch,” Nintendo’s president said in an X post sent from the company’s official office. “Nintendo Switch Online will also be available on the successor Nintendo Switch. More information about the Nintendo Switch successor, including its compatibility with the Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date.”

Describing Nintendo’s financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025, Furukawa said it is important for the company to maintain long-term relationships with its consumers. “We believe it’s important for Nintendo’s future to leverage Nintendo Account and carry the good relationship we’ve built with the more than 100 million users who play on Nintendo Switch annually to its successor,” he said.

“In addition to being able to play the Nintendo Switch software they currently own, consumers will be able to choose their next purchase from a wide selection of games released for Nintendo Switch,” he added.

Furukawa did not provide further details on the Nintendo Switch 2 launch schedule, but the console will be officially announced by the end of fiscal year 2025, Nintendo confirmed.

Nintendo released financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2024 on Wednesday, confirming a year-over-year decline in hardware and software sales. The company sold 4.72 million Nintendo Switch units in the quarter, a 31 percent decline in quarterly sales compared to fiscal 2024. Consequently, the Japanese company revised its FY25 Switch sales forecast to 12.5 million units, below Nintendo’s previous estimate for Switch sales. 13.5 million units. The company also confirmed that the total sales volume of the Nintendo Switch reached 146 million units.