Nintendo downplays CES’ convincing Nintendo Switch 2 leak

By Patrick Hearn Published January 10, 2025

Following CES 2025, where accessory-maker Genki showed off a mock-up model of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo is now debunking recent leaks about its still unrevealed console.

Gamers have been glued to nearly every Nintendo Switch 2 rumor that has emerged in recent weeks (and there have been a lot of them), but the most recent was a supposed mockup of the console on the CES 2025 show floor. Until then, Nintendo had kept mum about the leaks, but now the company has broken its silence and issued a statement.

In a report to the Japanese branch of CNET, Nintendo says: “The gaming hardware that Genki is claiming to be Nintendo hardware at CES is unofficial and was not provided to the company by Nintendo.”

Genki has since backtracked a bit on its own leaks. The company now says that its mock-up was unofficial, telling the publication Game*Spark that it was simply based on leaked information instead of an inside tip. This is in contrast to other reports where Genki allegedly said it had a Switch 2 in its possession.

If the accessory mockup was based on existing leaks, then it doesn’t corroborate anything after all; instead, it just builds off the idea of the console’s design for a marketing gimmick. On the flip side, it seems odd that accessory manufacturers would begin production on something that hadn’t been confirmed. Genki’s model also did match up with other recent leaks, lending the fake device some credibility. There may be some truth to the mess, even if it was based on rumors.

Nintendo has always kept its information close, but we do know a few things. The Nintendo Switch 2 (or whatever the console will be called) will be backward compatible with Switch games, and it should be announced by March 31.

Nintendo promised a formal Switch 2 announcement by the end of its fiscal year, but that implies the console isn’t releasing during that time frame. The earliest window to expect it will be April 2025, although that’s a generous guess. The Switch was first released on March 3 after an October announcement; following that time frame, a March announcement puts the Switch 2 releasing around August or September.