Activision’s 2022 report hints at Switch 2 performance—but it’s not promising

With Sony and Microsoft’s next generation of consoles already out for some time now, many gamers have been waiting patiently for word on Nintendo’s next console, the Switch 2. Though there have been little more than rumors about the console so far, emails revealed during Microsoft’s case with the FTC revealed some details about their competitor’s potential upcoming console.

According to documents revealed in court, executives from Activision Blizzard, which was set to be acquired by Microsoft, had a meeting with representatives of Nintendo to talk about the next iteration of the Nintendo Switch, and that email unveiled some rather disappointing details about the potential performance power of the new console.

Emails between Activision and Nintendo executives from December 2022 suggested that the next generation of the Switch will have performance that is comparable to that of a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, neither of which are the most recent generation of their respective console brand line. While the court redacted much of the emails, they allowed one important portion of an email from Activision senior vice president of global platform strategy & partner relations Chris Schnakenberg to go public.

“Given the closer alignment to Gen8 platforms in terms of performance and our previous offerings on PS4 / Xbox One, it is reasonable to assume we could make something compelling for the NG Switch as well,” Schnakenberg said. “It would be helpful to secure early access to development hardware prototypes and prove that out nice and early.”

Earlier this summer, Nintendo reportedly provided dev kits for the next version of the Switch to some partner studios, with the console’s launch expected to come in the latter half of 2024.