Nintendo has been able to stretch the life of the Switch to nine years now, and it apparently intends to take the same approach with the Switch 2.

According to a translation of the latest investor briefing (via Nintendo Patents), Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has said he wants the new hybrid system to have a long lifespan, similar to the original hardware. To achieve this, the Japanese firm will unsurprisingly take the same steps of building up the user base and growing hardware & software sales over time.

During the original Switch generation, Nintendo relied on evergreen titles such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to sustain sales over the long term. It also bolstered sales by expanding and refreshing the Switch hardware line with a dedicated handheld unit and OLED model.

As the Switch now looks towards its tenth anniversary, it’s still getting new first-party releases. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream launched last month, and Rhythm Heaven Groove is out this July. Furukawa has previously stated Nintendo will support the Switch user base in the foreseeable future.

As for the Switch 2, it’s got off to a promising start with games such as Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza in the first year. And in 2026, there’s already been some surprise success with Pokémon Pokopia, and Star Fox is now locked in for next month.

The Switch 2 is now just shy of 20 million sales worldwide since its global release last June. In comparison, the original system has currently sold over 155 million units. Of course, Nintendo is now also dealing with “changes in market conditions”, resulting in a global price hike on the new unit.