Nintendo’s stock in Japan closed nearly 6 percent lower on Monday following a Bloomberg report from the weekend, which reported that the company had told game publishers that the release of the Switch 2 will be delayed until early next year, when it’s now expected on the market, rather than late 2024 as had been expected.

Notably, Nintendo has yet to comment on the report, but other analysts have suggested that a new Switch console might launch in the second half of this year.

Investors had been boosted as the company’s stock rose more than 53 percent over the previous year on speculation about the new console. The nearly seven-year-old Switch, which has enjoyed recent tailwinds from the ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ and a new Zelda game, has helped, too.

This is important as sales of the Switch, previously raised by Nintendo’s board to an improved forecast for the current fiscal year, seemingly remain robust. A delay to 2025 would deny the Switch 2 the lucrative holiday season sales, especially in December.

Source: Arjun Kharpal,CNBC February 19, 2024