In the unlikeliest comeback story, last week GameShark — yes, the game cheat company — announced a return to public life with the "AI Shark", a piece of artificial intelligence-powered software that will fulfill the same role as the GameShark. By itself, this would have been a pretty cool announcement, but GameShark unfortunately overshadowed its own reveal with a single line in the press release.
"Formerly known as GameShark, AI Shark is set to redefine the gaming landscape with its revolutionary AI-enhanced technology The innovative gaming software is set to mark a significant leap forward in the gaming experience, bringing enhanced gameplay for beginner-level users." So far, so press release-y. However, it's the next line that set the cat amongst the pigeons and sent the press into a frenzy the moment it was noticed by Digital Trends.
"The official launch is planned to coincide with the Nintendo Switch 2 in September 2024."
As the Nintendo Switch is one of the most celebrated consoles of the last decade, and the forerunner of the portable-to-home-console push we're now seeing more and more of. So it's understandable that any mention of a successor is going to distract, never mind announcing a release date.
For context, Nintendo has been tight-lipped about details of any new Switch, so does it seem likely it would choose to let GameShark know about its plans? Many thought not, which is why further comment was sought. Speaking to Digital Trends, Altec Lansing, the company putting out AI Shark, explained that a release date had not yet been confirmed. But then, noted journalist Jason Schreier at Bloomberg received a comment from AI Shark that explained the company is completely guessing about a release date.
So while we all may have gotten excited for a few moments, it seems likely this release date is nothing but speculation. While Nintendo remains tight-lipped and rumors aren't coming from the Japanese giant itself, it's safe to regard any date with suspicion.
As for AI Shark, while including that date may have helped to supercharge its press release into the news, it's rather for the wrong reasons, as now everyone is talking about the Nintendo Switch 2, rather than AI Shark. Woops.