As part of its marketing campaign for the Nintendo Switch 2, company executives on Wednesday announced new details about its next video game console, promising a lineup of titles this year from its Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and Kirby franchises.
The Switch 2 will be released on June 5 for $450.
The new console will include a microphone to chat with other players, screen-sharing and the option to add a separate camera for streaming. The service, known as Game Chat, will eventually require a subscription and include parental permission controls.
Along with a bigger screen measuring 7.9 inches long with higher resolution, the Switch 2 will have the ability to run games at 120 frames per second for smoother gameplay. It will have 256 gigabytes of internal storage and include mouse controls.
In its hourlong video announcement on Wednesday, Nintendo released details of several new games.
Mario Kart World will feature up to 24 players and allow drivers to explore off track in an open world. Donkey Kong Bananza will be the franchise’s first new 3-D game since the 1999 platformer Donkey Kong 64. Kirby Air Riders is a sequel to the cult hit from the GameCube era by Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the Smash Bros. series.
Mario Kart World will be released on June 5, Donkey Kong Bananza on July 17 and Kirby Air Riders sometime this year.
Although games exclusive to one video game console are becoming less common, FromSoftware, the developers of Elden Ring and Dark Souls, announced a new game called The Duskbloods that is scheduled to release in 2026 only on the Switch 2.
Fortunes rise and fall in the gaming industry depending on the success of new consoles, which companies often sell at losses to keep prices lower and make money on software. Even so, companies like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have sometimes struggled to convince players to leave their previous technology behind.
The original Switch was released in 2017 and revived Nintendo’s financial prospects after the disappointing release of the Wii U five years earlier. A gamble to combine its markets for home and hand-held gaming devices was ultimately successful, with the Switch selling more than 150 million units.
On Wednesday, Nintendo also announced Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, a hack-and-slash spinoff game that takes place in the universe of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Eon Productions said it would produce a new game in the James Bond universe.
Previously released games that will be coming to the Switch 2 include Elden Ring, Hades II, Civilization VII, Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy and Split Fiction.
During Nintendo’s latest earnings report in February, executives discussed a decrease in net sales that saw gross profits decline by more than 27 percent year-to-year to 565.5 billion yen (about $3.8 billion).
Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, noted that the Japanese yen had still not recovered from last year’s market crash, affecting the country’s exchange rate and hurting profits. He also noted the continued rise of gaming on smartphones.
“It is true in recent years that many people’s first game platform has changed from being a Nintendo dedicated video game system to a smart device,” he said.
Mr. Furukawa also said that Nintendo would adjust its production plans for the Switch 2 based on reactions to the console’s unveiling.
“As was true with Nintendo Switch, we believe it will not be easy to rapidly increase production capacity, so based on our prior experience, we are making preparations to be able to respond as quickly as possible,” he said, referring to shortages in 2017.
The Japanese company that began by manufacturing playing cards in 1880s Kyoto has transformed into a global entertainment brand with several revenue streams.
Nintendo has opened theme parks with Universal Studios around the world and produced blockbuster films including “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” The company recently said that its adaptation of the Legend of Zelda series would premiere in March 2027.
