As Nintendo confirms Switch 2 backwards compatibility, analyst claims investors are more confident that the next console is "a continuation" rather than "a risky experiment"

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But will backwards compatibility be enough to guarantee its success?

Mario faces the camera with a thumbs up pose in Super Smash Bros. Ulimate.
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has now officially confirmed that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with current Switch games, and it sounds like investors are seeing this as a good sign of things to come.

This backwards compatibility announcement comes just a day after Nintendo's latest financial results, which weren't exactly positive for the company, with sales of Switch consoles (including the OLED and Lite models) down 31% year-on-year for the six-month period up to September 30. Although Nintendo justified this with a lack of "special factors" driving sales, as well as the fact that the Switch is now in its eighth year of life, analyst Dr. Serkan Toto, the CEO of Kantan Games –  a consultancy focused on Japan's games industry – said that "Nintendo stock was down around -4% in regular trading" following the results. At the time, he suggested that investors "see no fuel in the tank" until the Switch 2 reveal, but it appears that that situation has changed slightly now.

At this point, we're yet to actually see the console – while everyone has been calling it the Switch 2 for simplicity's sake, Nintendo has continually referred to it as "the successor to Nintendo Switch," without giving it an actual title. The term "successor" could have already indicated that the next console might be a continuation of sorts, but the backwards compatibility confirmation is the most concrete evidence of that suggestion we've seen yet. 

Of course, backwards compatibility won't necessarily guarantee its success. Just look at the Wii U (rest in peace to that era), which was also able to play games from the wildly popular Wii, but didn't come close to mirroring its predecessor's sales. Either way, the Switch successor is still on track to be revealed before April 2025, so we might not be waiting too much longer to see what it's all about.

It's been 10 years since Mario Kart 8 launched, and it still managed to outsell every single first-party new Nintendo Switch game in 2024.

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.