Nintendo won't be at Gamescom 2024, and neither will the Switch 2

Nintendo has pulled out of this year's gaming event in Cologne, Germany

(Credit: Nintendo)

• 🚫 Nintendo won’t be at Gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Germany

• 😔 It means we won’t be getting a Switch 2 announcement at the event

• 🏃Nintendo appears to be gearing up for the Switch 2 launch next year

• 🙌 Nintendo still has some big Switch titles on the way

Nintendo has reportedly pulled out of Gamescom 2024, which means there’s almost zero chance we’ll see the long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2.

A spokesperson for Nintendo told the German publication Games Wirtschaft (thanks, VGC) that the company will not be an exhibitor at this summer’s event – a surprise considering it attended last year and reportedly demoed the Nintendo Switch 2 behind closed doors.

Nintendo has since delayed the Switch 2 until early 2025 after it was widely expected to be released toward the end of this year, putting it in direct competition with the PS5 Pro. The decision to delay the launch was made so that Nintendo could prepare a stronger launch lineup and also avoid any supply issues that plagued the PS5 and Xbox Series X releases.

Nintendo officially shut down the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U online servers after 13 years. Games like Splatoon and Mario Kart 7 that had online modes will no longer work, as users will now be greeted with an error message.

Nintendo still has some big Switch games on the way this year, with Paper Mario: A Thousand Year Door and a remaster of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. However, it looks like it’s now holding back titles to release on Nintendo Switch 2 to give the console the momentum it’ll need to encourage users to purchase the Switch’s successor.

And it’ll need some serious momentum to keep up with the incredible sales of the Nintendo Switch. The console has sold over 139 million units, making it the second best-selling home console of all time after the PS2.

The Switch 2 won’t be dramatically different from its predecessor, but it will be more expensive. Unfortunately, it’ll also have one big downgrade: no OLED screen.