The Nintendo Direct focused on the Nintendo Switch 2 is just a week away, but the company’s launch plans might have leaked a few days early. According to Insider Gaming, Nintendo has a three-phase strategy in place for the launch of the Switch 2, starting with the console’s arrival in June of this year and stretching to the holiday season.
Here’s how Insider Gaming’s sources say the Nintendo Switch 2 launch will shake out:
- Phase 1: Nintendo Switch 2 launches in June alongside mostly first-party games.
- Phase 2: Third-party studios release Switch 2 games in October/November after receiving their development kits in June.
- Phase 3: More new Switch 2 games roll out for the holiday season.
Beyond the software rollout, Insider Gaming also reports that select creators and members of the press are being invited to a Switch 2 hands-on event next week. They’ll be some of the first people outside of Nintendo to see the console in person, and they’ll also get the chance to play some of the launch games. We attended a similar event back in January 2017, just two months before the Nintendo Switch was available in stores.
It’s worth noting that we not only got to play with the Switch at that event, but Nintendo also had some accessories on hand, such as the Switch Pro Controller.
If this report is accurate, the compelling theory pointing to May 15 as the Switch 2’s release date might have been off. That said, we are about to learn plenty more about the next-gen console in the coming days, so hopefully, those hands-on reports will tide us over.
You can tune in to the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct on April 2 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
