Latest Nintendo Update Is Great News For Switch 2 Games

Summary Nintendo acquired Shiver Entertainment, the developer that ported Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1.

Nintendo may expand third-party ports for its upcoming console.

Switch 2 is rumored to have backward compatibility with existing Switch games.

As the potential release date of the long-awaited Switch 2 inches ever-closer, every move Nintendo makes has started new rumors for what the upcoming console could feature. The President of Nintendo, Shuntaro Furukawa, confirmed consumers will hear news of this next-gen console before the end of the current fiscal year, meaning the console is expected to be unveiled before the end of March 2025.

On the morning of May 21 in Japan (the evening of May 20 in the United States), Nintendo announced that it had acquired Shiver Entertainment in an announcement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account. The development company has previously worked on a series of ports for the Nintendo Switch, most recently Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat 1. The console’s library has already expanded significantly since its release seven years ago, but this acquisition could be a sign of even bigger news for the Switch 2.

In the announcement, Nintendo confirmed “even after [Shiver Entertainment] becomes a part of the Nintendo group, Shiver’s focus will remain the same, continuing commissions that port and develop software for multiple platforms including Nintendo Switch.” The exact details of what games could potentially be ported aren’t unveiled in the announcement, but this heavily suggests the next gen console’s library will include titles not before seen on Nintendo platforms.

The Switch 2 Is Rumored To Feature Backward Compatibility

Most Of Nintendo’s Backlog Of Games Are Available For The Switch

Though the exact specs of the upcoming console still leave some players concerned the model will struggle to keep up with other competitors, it seems likely that at the very least, the Switch 2 will feature backward compatibility for both physical and digital copies of Switch games. Not only will this give the console an expansive library right at launch, but it also follows the steady trend of video game companies making their backlogs of work available to current-gen players.

Nintendo already has a plethora of its first-party games from previous generations available to those with a Nintendo Switch Online membership with the expansion pack. Through this, players have access to NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 64 titles (that have already been ported for the newer console). But with the console’s current hardware, it struggles to run some of the more demanding AAA games, leaving certain ports as nothing more than a pipe dream.

Since the Nintendo Switch continues to be one of the best-selling video game consoles on the market, it's many users’ only console in their collection. Though little is overtly confirmed in this acquisition, it suggests the company is eying an expansion to its third-party ports for the upcoming console. Depending on what the next generation features spec-wise, the successor could easily maintain the trajectory the Switch has maintained throughout its lifespan, especially with a larger third-party library of games.

Source: Nintendo/X