Nintendo Confirms Switch 2 Will Be Backward Compatible With Software & Switch Online

After announcing the successor to the Nintendo Switch console, plenty of speculations have been circulating online on what we could expect from the forthcoming console, from the hardware design to the console's name and more. While we have been waiting months for official news from Nintendo regarding the Switch successor, we got one of the biggest news on the official social media channels.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa made this announcement on 5th November 2024 in a social media post, providing players with key details on features included with the Switch successor, with a release date has yet to be announced. These new details come from a recent briefing held with Nintendo's management, in which the Switch 2 console appears to have been one of the key topics discussed, and an estimated timeline was provided in the latest Earnings Call report.

The latest update was posted to their official corporate Twitter account; Furukawa shared this new information on crucial details for the upcoming Switch console. "At today's Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch."

Furukawa continued, adding, "Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about the successor to Nintendo Switch, including its compatibility with Nintendo Switch, will be announced at a later date."

The news that the Switch 2 console will be backward compatible is huge news, especially with the Switch Online membership also readily available for the forthcoming console. While there's still plenty more we don't know about the Switch 2 console; we have been informed about the hardware and software sales as they held a recent Earnings Call on the abovementioned date.

Some key details were revealed in their latest financial earnings report in which Nintendo has lowered their forecast on Switch sales by one million units (from 13.5M to 12.5M) and the operating profits (from ¥400 bn to ¥360 bn). This hardware sales decline is a result of this year being relatively quieter compared to last year, which saw the releases of the Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, reinforcing Switch sales.

Furthermore, they've reaffirmed that they intend to officially announce the Switch 2 console sometime near the end of the current fiscal year (which ends on 31st March 2025). This means we can anticipate hearing more information about the Switch 2 console and related features before the new fiscal year begins in April 2025, during which Nintendo will continue to promote the current Switch console and provide new gaming experiences before the Switch 2 console is revealed.