With Switch 2 Possibly On The Horizon, Nintendo Is Skipping Gamescom 2024

Nintendo has confirmed that it is skipping Gamescom 2024. This breaks with tradition, as Nintendo had consistently participated in the event in the past.

"Gamescom is a great event, and each year we evaluate whether Nintendo should participate or not," Nintendo UK told Eurogamer. "After careful consideration from all perspectives, we've made the decision not to be present at Gamescom 2024. Players will have opportunities to try out Nintendo Switch games at other events throughout the year."

It's unclear why Nintendo decided to pull out of the Gamescom 2024. The announcement to skip comes amid rumors that the Nintendo Switch successor will be released within the next year. In recent years, Nintendo has announced its latest hardware during its own dedicated events. Whether the decision to skip Gamescom this year will be a one-time thing or a reoccurring one is unknown. After all, Nintendo hasn't participated in E3 since 2013, and that show is now permanently canceled.

Eurogamer reported that at Gamescom 2023, developers were given a behind-closed-doors look at the Switch successor, so it's also possible that Nintendo wants to minimize the chance of any leaks occurring again.

Initially, it was reported that Nintendo would release its new device sometime in 2024. However, recent reports suggested that it was internally delayed to 2025.

The Nintendo Switch exclusive software lineup for 2024 is lighter compared to the past several years. So far, it consisted of mostly remasters or remakes of previous Nintendo games, such as Another Code: Recollection, Mario vs Donkey Kong, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD. However, there are still new games, albeit on a smaller scope like Princess Peach: Showtime and Endless Ocean: Luminous. Of course, Metroid Prime 4 is still no where to be found and is seemingly still in development.