Pokémon: Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4 are still Switch 1 titles, says Nintendo

Nintendo has reaffirmed that both Pokémon: Legends Z-A and Metroid Prime 4 Beyond are planned for release on the original Nintendo Switch, despite the 2025 release of Nintendo Switch 2.

Speaking during an investor Q&A published this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that both games are still planned for release this year on the original Switch. Furukawa also said the company plans to continue to support the aging hardware as long as there is demand. 

Pokémon Legends Z-A was announced during Pokemon Day 2024. At the time of writing, no details about the game beyond those released during the game’s announcement have been revealed. Metroid Prime 4 Beyond was shown off in a gameplay trailer published last year.

This week’s earnings Q&A is the first time Nintendo has commented on the two games since last month’s announcement of Nintendo Switch 2.

While both titles are planned for the original Switch, both will be playable on Nintendo Switch 2 regardless. Nintendo Switch 2 will be backwards compatible with original Nintendo Switch software, Nintendo has confirmed, which analysts have speculated could boost the new console’s launch sales due to its strong library of games on day one.

It’s currently unknown if backward-compatible titles will receive any type of performance boost on the new hardware, or if bespoke patches will have to be made available to players to take advantage of the difference in hardware specs between both systems.

It is also possible that both titles will be released for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 at the same time, similar to how Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on both Nintendo Switch and Wii U, the console the game was initially announced for.

Dr Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based game industry consultancy Kantan Games, told VGC this week that he believed Nintendo Switch 2 “cannot come soon enough” and questioned what games the company would use to fill the gap until launch.