Nintendo shares dive on new Switch delay report

TOKYO, Japan — Shares in Japan's Nintendo tumbled as much as 8.5% on Monday after a report suggesting that its next-generation console will be delayed until early 2025.

The successor to the popular Switch was targeted for release at the end of this year but several publishers have now been told to expect it to slip into next year, Bloomberg News reported, citing unnamed sources.

That would mean that the next console would miss the key Christmas holiday shopping period in December.

The delay was also reported by the Video Games Chronicle website.

A Nintendo spokesperson said the company has nothing to comment on, Bloomberg News said.

The Switch, both a handheld and TV-compatible device, became a must-have among all age groups during the Covid pandemic.

Buzz around the gadget is slowly fading with the console now in its seventh year, but the company has so far remained tight-lipped about its plans.