Gamescom may be the most significant gaming convention and trade show in Europe (and probably the world following the death of E3), but Nintendo is a bit hit-and-miss with their attendance. They skipped 2022, but they were there in 2023, and, in fact, it was rumored they may have shown the Switch 2 for the first time behind closed doors while there. Unfortunately, it seems we won’t be getting a repeat in 2024, as Nintendo has confirmed they’ll be skipping the show in a statement provided to Eurogamer…
“Gamescom is a great event, and each year we evaluate whether Nintendo should participate or not. After careful consideration from all perspectives, we’ve made the decision not to be present at Gamescom 2024. Players will have opportunities to try out Nintendo Switch games at other events throughout the year.”
Nintendo skipping Gamescom this year is particularly significant, as it’s believed the company is preparing to release their much-anticipated Switch successor, likely in early 2025. There have been a lot of rumors and speculation about when the company might actually reveal the Switch 2. We do know Nintendo will reveal some plans about their next fiscal year (which extends until the end of March 2025) as part of their next earnings call in May. Beyond that, it’s been rumored the Switch 2 reveal may happen around the traditional E3 season in June.
That said, if Nintendo is skipping Gamescom in August, that may indicate a full reveal of the Switch 2 isn’t coming until later on in 2024. Of course, maybe Nintendo just won’t be ready to show off hands-on Switch 2 software in August – we might still get a tease for the new hardware earlier. That said, if I had to guess, I’d say Nintendo skipping Gamescom means we won’t be seeing Switch 2 until later in the year, perhaps in the September-ish window when we usually get a Nintendo Direct. We’ll see!
What do you think? When is Nintendo finally going to give up the goods and show us the new hardware? Will it happen before or after Gamescom?
