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Switch Successor Targeting March 2025, According To New Report
Japanese outlet Nikkei is reporting that the Switch successor, or “Switch 2” as it’s been dubbed colloquially within the games industry, is targeting a March 2025 launch, according to VideoGamesChronicle. This report follows earlier reporting from VGC and other outlets like Eurogamer that Nintendo’s next console was originally targeting a 2024 launch before being pushed internally to the first quarter of 2025, which lines up with Nikkei’s latest reporting.
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VGC reports that Nikkei writes, “Priority was given to ensure the initial inventory of the successor console and a lineup of software titles at the time of its launch” to curb the possibility of a stock shortage similar to what the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S experienced back in 2020. Following previous reports, Nikkei also writes that Nintendo’s next console will be a hybrid home console-portable device like the Switch with a larger screen.
Finally, Nikkei writes the internal target is March 2025 but that the Switch 2 could slip beyond that depending on manufacturing and the software available for the console’s launch at that time, according to VGC. If it does launch in March of next year, it’d follow in the Switch’s footsteps, which launched in March of 2017.
It’s important to note that all of this should be taken with a grain of salt as these delays remain internal for the time being. The Switch’s successor hasn’t even been publicly revealed yet, so there’s no telling when to expect it officially. In the meantime, though, read about how Nintendo reportedly demoed the Switch successor to developers at Gamescom last year.
[Source: Nikkei via VideoGamesChronicle]
Do you think March of next year is a good time for a new Nintendo console? Let us know in the comments below!
Reynatis, That Cool Looking Action Game Shown During Last Week’s Japanese Nintendo Direct, Hits The States This Fall
During last week’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, we learned Grounded and Pentiment, two Xbox titles, are coming to Switch, Disney Epic Mickey was getting the remaster treatment, Penny’s Big Breakaway is now available, and more. You can check out our full rundown of everything announced during the Partner Showcase here. However, Reynatis, a really cool-looking action game set in a modern-day Tokyo, was not shown.
It appeared during the Japanese version of the Partner Showcase, though, and the game quickly picked up steam online, thanks to its cool visual style, over-the-top action, and music by Final Fantasy XV composer Yoko Shimomura. Despite its absence on the English version of the Partner Showcase, we now know Reynatis is coming West later this year.
Specifically, it’s due out this fall on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam, as reported by Gematsu.
Check out the Reynatis reveal trailer for yourself below for a glimpse at what to expect:
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“Fantasy meets reality in Shibuya, Tokyo, where magic is something to be feared,” the game’s description on Steam reads. “In this action RPG, a young wizard seeks freedom through strength, and an officer seeks to control magic and restore order. When their paths cross, a darkness that will transform the world descends.”
Elsewhere on Steam, developer Furyu Corporation and publisher NIS America write that Reynatis is set in 2024, and the Criminal Magic Response Act is an order that bars citizens from going out at night – few enforce the rule though.
“Marin Kirizumi is a wizard who grew up oppressed by others due to his magic,” the game’s description reads. “‘If you become the strongest, you’ll be set free.’ Following these words left by his father, he arrives in Shibuya at night.
“When Sari Nishijima discovered her magic, she decided to use her powers to maintain order. She follows her own sense of justice to protect Shibuya from forces with dangerous ideals and illegal drugs that turn people into monsters. Marin, who seeks liberation. Sari, who treats the oppression of wizards as justice. The story of Reynatis begins when the two meet in Shibuya, a place where cultures and ideas mix.”
Reynatis is due out this fall on PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC. It will support Japanese audio with English text.
[Source: Gematsu]
What do you think of Raynatis? Let us know in the comments below!
Until Dawn, Little Nightmares III Developer Supermassive Games Is Laying Off 90 Employees
Supermassive Games, the developer behind Until Dawn, The Quarry, and the upcoming Little Nightmares III, is laying off roughly 90 employees, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The publication reports that 150 staff members at the British studio were informed today they are “at risk” of being laid off in accordance with U.K. labor laws that require companies to give notice ahead of layoffs.
Shortly after Bloomberg’s report went live, the studio tweeted the following statement:
It’s no secret that the games industry is currently facing significant challenges, and unfortunately we aren’t immune to this.
After much deliberation and with deep regret, we are therefore undertaking a reorganization of Supermassive Games. As a result, we are entering into a period of consultation, which we anticipate will result in the loss of some of our colleagues.
This is not a decision that’s been taken lightly, with many efforts made to avoid this outcome.
We are all too aware of how unsettling and difficult this process is going to be for all our employees and will be working closely with all those involved to ensure the process is conducted as respectfully and compassionately as possible.
We’re committed to focusing our efforts on our core strength and upcoming titles to ensure the continued sustainability of the company.”
Bloomberg reports that Supermassive is made up of 300 employees, meaning laying off 90 people would equal a roughly 30 percent reduction in staff. Despite developing PlayStation exclusives like Until Dawn, Supermassive is part of Nordisk Games.
Last month, PlayStation announced that an Until Dawn remake is coming to PS5 and PC later this year, although UK developer Ballistic Moon is the primary team working on that. Supermassive is, however, developing Little Nightmares III, which is due out this year.
These job cuts join a string of other disheartening 2024 layoffs, which total more than 5,500 in just the first two months of the year. At the end of January, we learned Embracer Group had canceled a new Deus Ex game in development at Eidos-Montréal and laid off 97 employees in the process. Also in January, Destroy All Humans remake developer Black Forest Games reportedly laid off 50 employees and Microsoft announced it was laying off 1,900 employees across its Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax teams as well. Outriders studio People Can Fly laid off more than 30 employees in January, and League of Legends company Riot Games laid off 530 employees.
We recently learned Lords of the Fallen Publisher CI Games was laying off 10 percent of its staff, that Unity would be laying off 1,800 people by the end of March, and that Twitch had laid off 500 employees.
We also learned that Discord had laid off 170 employees, that layoffs happened at PTW, a support studio that’s worked with companies like Blizzard and Capcom, and that SteamWorld Build company, Thunderful Group, let go of roughly 100 people. Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive also reportedly laid off 45 people, too.
Last year, more than 10,000 people in the games industry or game-adjacent industries were laid off.
In January of last year, Microsoft laid off 10,000 employees amidst its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which it completed in October.
Striking Distance Studios, the team behind 2022’s The Callisto Protocol, laid off more than 30 employees in August of 2023. That same month, Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare laid off 50 employees, including long-time studio veterans. The following month, in September, Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios laid off roughly 45% of its staff, and Fortnite developer Epic Games laid off 830 employees.
In October of last year, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog laid off at least 25 employees, and Telltale Games also underwent layoffs, although an actual number of affected employees has not yet been revealed. Dreams developer Media Molecule laid off 20 employees in late October.
In November, Amazon Games laid off 180 staff members, Ubisoft laid off more than 100 employees, Bungie laid off roughly 100 developers, and 505 Games’ parent company, Digital Bros, laid off 30% of its staff.
In December, Embracer Group closed its reformed TimeSplitters studio, Free Radical Design, and earlier in the year, Embracer closed Saints Row developer Volition Games, a studio with more than 30 years of development history. A few weeks before the winter holidays, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering owner Hasbro laid off 1,100 employees.
The games industry will surely feel the effects of such horrific layoffs for years to come. The hearts of the Game Informer staff are with everyone who’s been affected by layoffs or closures.
[Source: Bloomberg]