You can never write off a Nintendo game. To have it act in the most logical and intuitive way. With the Switch being in its sixth year, you may expect a replacement to arrive soon after it became the third greatest-selling console of all time. But Nintendo assures investors that the Switch still has fresh games in the works and lots of room to grow, despite the lack of a Switch 2 or Switch Pro in sight.
In a Q&A with investors this week, Nintendo was asked repeatedly if the Switch was dead after reporting lower-than-anticipated sales, and the company consistently assured investors that it was not. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa calls the current situation “uncharted territory” and says more games are “under development for Nintendo Switch” and “new titles will continue to be proposed going forward.” What follows is the entire excerpt:
“Nintendo Switch is coming up on its seventh year of sales in March, and we see this as uncharted territory in the history of our dedicated video game platforms. Under these circumstances, it is hard to imagine that hardware sales will continue to grow at the same pace they have to date. However, there are titles under development for Nintendo Switch, and new titles will continue to be proposed going forward. We are seeing both new demand and multiple system demand for the hardware, so we think there is still room for growth in sales. To that end, we want to maintain a high level of engagement with the hardware and create new demand not only by releasing new titles but also by working further to convey the appeal of existing titles.”
Listed below are some articles you may find interesting that deal with the Nintendo Switch:
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- Get Top-rated Nintendo Switch Games for Under $4!
Many people assumed that after May’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and June’s Pikmin 4, Nintendo didn’t have many other major games planned for the system. Perhaps Nintendo was planning to switch to a new, more powerful system since the old one had run out of steam. The company’s last investor call, though, suggests that the Switch may still have room to grow. “We believe that both new titles and evergreen titles can create opportunities for new users to purchase hardware,” Furukawa said.
So, is there anything else? There have been rumours of delays, reboots, and a long wait since E3 2017, when Metroid Prime 4 was first unveiled. New Super Mario games, both in 2D and 3D, are long overdue. Also, a remastered version of Oracle of Seasons/Ages in diorama form, or an HD port of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. It’s not out of the question that additional second-tier franchises, like Kid Icarus or Star Fox, will get their send-off on the system, given the company’s wide bench and knack for surprises.
While some industry watchers don’t expect new Nintendo hardware until 2024, Bloomberg reported that the company is increasing production of existing Switches in anticipation of higher sales in the following year. You shouldn’t expect a price drop any time soon, either.
“As we continue the Nintendo Switch business over the long term, we have tried to preserve the value and prices of both hardware and software as much as possible,” Furukawa said this week. “We do not believe that policy needs to be changed at this point.”