Nintendo is Breaking One of Its Longest Trends With The Switch 2

Many were surprised by today’s sudden reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2, as there was no lead-up to the announcement trailer, but some fans were not. In fact, among the many recent leaks and rumors surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2, it was stated by prominent figures that the teaser would be released today. Still, the Japanese company is making history, releasing a successor to the Nintendo Switch, which sold more copies than the PlayStation 2 did in its lifetime. The new handheld console is a successor through and through, as it has the original’s design with new elements and features, and it’s even called “Nintendo Switch 2.”

This makes perfect sense considering the presentation of the new console, which also has its own unique sound bound to become iconic over time, though in this case it’s no longer tied to the click made by Joy-Cons sliding into position, but by Joy-Cons being magnetically attached to the Switch 2. And yet, the Nintendo Switch 2 is already breaking a longtime tradition for the company, and that is to be a direct successor to the Switch, adding “2” to its name. No Nintendo console has ever done this, as strange as it may sound.

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A History of Nintendo Consoles And Their Names Ahead of The Switch 2

There have been many Nintendo consoles over the years, from the home consoles to the handhelds. The list includes:

• The Color TV-Game series, with numbers ranging from 6 to 112, and then including the Block Breaker and the Computer TV-Game consoles (1977-1983)
• The Game & Watch series, which had special releases in 2020 and 2021 tied to the 35th anniversary of Super Mario and Zelda as franchises, respectively (1980-1991)
• Game Boy (1989)
• SNES (1990)
• Virtual Boy (1995)
• Nintendo 64 (1996)
• Game Boy Color (1998)
• GameCube (2001)
• Game Boy Advance (2001)
• Pokemon Mini (2001)
• Nintendo DS (2004)
• Wii (2006)
• Nintendo 3DS (2011)
• Wii U (2012)
• Nintendo Switch (2017)

Even with consoles that were meant to be successors of some kind, such as the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance for the original Game Boy or the Nintendo 3DS for the Nintendo DS, no console prior to the Nintendo Switch 2 was a full-blown successor even in the name. As much as the Nintendo Switch 2’s new features can be a game-changer, naming the console like this also breaks new ground by putting an end to a trend that started all the way back in the late 70s.

Why Nintendo May Have Called The Switch’s Successor ‘Switch 2’

There may be more to the Nintendo Switch 2’s name than a simple convention, however. With how great the Nintendo Switch’s sales have been over the years and how loved the handheld was and still is, there is a chance that the company settled on the name of the successor for familiarity’s sake. It’s no secret that familiar brands build trust, and trusted brands sell more, which might explain why the Nintendo Switch 2 doesn’t have a different name as past consoles did.

This can be especially true if one considers the time gap between the release of the original Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, which is over eight years. The Nintendo Switch has become immensely popular and easily recognizable, which bodes well for the Nintendo Switch 2. On top of that, fans had been calling the Switch’s successor “Nintendo Switch 2” even before today’s official announcement, meaning that there was value to this name. Regardless of the reasons for its official title, the Switch 2’s bigger screen and new features will likely allow it to make a name for itself over the course of 2025.

Nintendo Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch 2 is the successor to Nintendo Switch, scheduled for release in 2025. Confirmed as backwards compatible, it will play both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. A full reveal is pencilled in for April 2, 2025.

Brand

Nintendo

Original Release Date

2025-00-00