The Nintendo Switch 2 will finally arrive this year, but it will cost $100 more than the current system, according to Dr. Serkan Toto, CEO of Kantan Games, an independent game industry consultancy focused on the Japanese market, who shared his predictions for 2024 as part of a new feature for GamesIndustry.biz.
“The time is finally here for a Switch successor, even though I can say a ‘Pro’ model actually did exist and certain developers were already working with the dev kit,” Toto writes before going on to share his thoughts as to how much the console will cost and how powerful it might be, including what he believes will be a higher price point for Nintendo games going forward.
“I believe the next hardware will drop next year for $400. There is a high chance that games will cost more, too: $70. The next system is also likely to be an iteration rather than a revolution. Nintendo might add some bells and whistles to the device, but it will be similar to the current Switch. And because there is Pokémon, and Pokémon is associated with handheld gaming, there is no way on earth Nintendo will drop the portability feature for their next big thing,” Toto said.
Toto had nothing more to share about Nintendo, but he goes on to suggest that AI will be an even bigger topic in 2024, with Square Enix potentially releasing a big IP game with crypto elements:
2023 already was the year of AI, and I think AI will radically revolutionize how we develop and play games going forward. In 2024, we will see at least one big launch of a title primarily made with AI. The Finals in 2023 was just the beginning.
I think after a few years of announcements and experiments, 2024 is the year in which Square Enix will finally launch a big crypto game. My expectation is they are actually going to use the Final Fantasy IP – but probably not for a traditional RPG.
“My company regularly covers the dynamics of the Japanese game market, key content and main players such as Nintendo, Sony, Konami, Square Enix, Capcom, Koei Tecmo, mixi, CyberAgent, DeNA, GREE, Colopl, GungHo, etc.,” Toto wrote for his company’s about page.
“Services include ad-hoc calls and meetings, seminars and presentations, in-depth research on Japan’s game industry, strategy consulting, M&A consulting, etc.,” he adds.
Nintendo’s current OLED Switch models include a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Bundle and Mario Red Edition, both of which are available for $349.99.