By no means rely Nintendo out. Or for it to do the obvious and smart factor. With the Swap coming into its sixth 12 months after turning into the third greatest promoting console ever, you’d suppose it might be the right time for a successor. However there’s nonetheless no Swap 2 or Swap Professional in sight, and Nintendo is telling buyers the console nonetheless has new video games in growth and loads of room to develop.
After saying worse than anticipated gross sales, Nintendo was requested repeatedly by buyers in a Q&A this week if the Swap is useless, and Nintendo repeatedly stated it’s not. In reality, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa believes the corporate is in “uncharted territory,” and confirmed there are nonetheless extra video games “underneath growth for Nintendo Swap,” and “new titles will proceed to be proposed going ahead.” Right here’s the complete excerpt:
Nintendo Swap is developing on its seventh 12 months of gross sales in March, and we see this as uncharted territory within the historical past of our devoted online game platforms. Beneath these circumstances it’s arduous to think about that {hardware} gross sales will proceed to develop on the identical tempo they need to date. Nonetheless, there are titles underneath growth for Nintendo Swap, and new titles will proceed to be proposed going ahead. We’re seeing each new demand and a number of system demand for the {hardware}, so we predict there’s nonetheless room for progress in gross sales. To that finish, we wish to preserve a excessive degree of engagement with the {hardware} and create new demand not solely by releasing new titles but additionally by working additional to convey the attraction of current titles.
Following the information that Nintendo wouldn’t be attending E3 2023, there was numerous hypothesis that the corporate didn’t have many different huge video games deliberate for the console after The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in Could, and Pikmin 4 in June. In reality, perhaps the system was operating out of juice altogether, with Nintendo getting ready to pivot to a brand new, extra highly effective system. Nevertheless it’s clear from its current investor name that even when gross sales are slowing, the Swap might have some runway left but. “We consider that each new titles and evergreen titles can create alternatives for brand spanking new customers to buy {hardware},” Furukawa stated.
So what might be left? Regardless of rumored delays, reboots, and the prolonged wait after it was teased again at E3 2017, Metroid Prime 4 will in all probability arrive in some unspecified time in the future. We’re additionally due for brand spanking new 2D and 3D Tremendous Mario video games. And naturally an HD port of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker or diorama-style remakes of Oracle of Seasons/Ages. Given the corporate’s deep bench and penchant for surprises, it’s not arduous to see one other Child Icarus, Star Fox, or one other B-tier franchise getting one final hurrah on the console as properly.
G/O Media might get a fee
Certainly, some analysts aren’t predicting new Nintendo {hardware} till 2024 on the earliest, whereas Bloomberg not too long ago reported that the corporate is definitely boosting manufacturing of current Switches to promote much more within the coming 12 months than the final. And don’t rely on a value minimize anytime quickly. “As we proceed the Nintendo Swap enterprise over the long run, we’ve got tried to protect the worth and costs of each {hardware} and software program as a lot as attainable,” Furukawa stated this week. “We don’t consider that coverage must be modified at this level.”
Correction: 2/10/23, 2:50 p.m. ET: The headline and textual content of this story beforehand misstated the age of the Nintendo Swap. It’s quickly coming into its sixth 12 months.