Leaks have repeatedly insisted that Nintendo’s next-gen console will be backward compatible with the Nintendo Switch, and that has now been officially confirmed.
In a statement published on Twitter, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa announced that, as shared by the company at its recent corporate management policy briefing, the successor to the Nintendo Switch will be able to play games released for the current Switch console.
Additionally, Furukawa also confirmed that the company’s online subscription service, Nintendo Switch Online, will be available on its next console as well. That shouldn’t come as a massive surprise, not only because of the success that the service has enjoyed, but because Nintendo has indicated on a few occasions that it intends to help make the generational transition to its next console smoother with such continuity.
Furukawa also says further details on the Switch’s successor and how its backward compatibility will function will be shared “at a later date”. Recently, he also stated that the console will be officially unveiled before April 2025, as confirmed earlier this year.
The Nintendo Switch, meanwhile, has sold 146.04 million units worldwide as of September 30.
This is Furukawa. At today’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will be available on the successor to Nintendo Switch as well. Further information about…
— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024
