Nintendo Switch 2 rumoured to launch Mario Odyssey sequel in 2024
Nintendo is poised to 'switch' things up in 2024, as it looks increasingly likely that the Nintendo Switch 2 is finally on the way. We've been leaking and debunking the idea of a Switch 2/Switch Pro for years, with many a Nintendo Direct coming and going without a whisper of a new-gen console.
Still, Nintendo is known for releasing a new console around the time its rivals are at the mid-point of their life cycle. As that time nears for the PS5 and Xbox Series, the leaks and rumours are going into overdrive that we'll be booting up the Switch 2 in 2024. The question is, will Mario be shouting "woo hoo" alongside it?
Switch 2 could launch with new 3D Mario game in 2024
In the latest Nate the Hate podcast, the insider has given us a smorgasbord of Nintendo Switch 2 rumours. The big ones are that Nate has heard about a late 2024 release, with production starting in Q1.
Gamers will also be pleased to hear about a potential 512GB to keep up with modern titles, as well as an eight-inch screen to outdo the Switch OLED. The only disappointment is that it would be an LCD screen instead of an OLED, suggesting it might not be as new-gen as you'd hope.
Obviously, we're interested in software. It just wouldn't be a Nintendo console without a Mario title at launch, and while Nate the Hate originally sounded unsure, he seems confident that a new 3D Mario will launch alongside the Switch 2.
What form a new 3D Mario takes remains to be seen, but with the last mainline release being Super Mario Odyssey in 2017, we're starved of a classic Mario platformer. We have had the likes of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury since, but it's not the same.
We need a new Mario game
Click to enlargeThere's plenty of hype for the trippy Super Mario Bros. Wonder (especially with Elphant Mario) and the Super Mario RPG remake, but they're yet to scratch the itch of a full-blown Mario adventure. Odyssey helped put the Switch on the map, with mechanics like Cappy and being the biggest Mario game ever.
Nintendo polled us on Mario Odyssey in January 2023 and sparked hopes that a sequeal could be on the way. Long before that, there were sketchy leaks of a playable Luigi and his own version of Cappy called Bowler - although that could've been made up by anyone.
With a new console potentially just over the horizon, the stars could align for Mario's next adventure. Will we go down the route of Mario Galaxy/Galaxy 2, or will it be more of a Super Mario 64 to Super Mario Sunshine transition? We're lost in a sea of sketchy leaks and 4chan rumours about the Switch 2, but keep 'em peeled.
