After recently announcing record-breaking sales milestones, Nintendo says it won’t cut down on production of existing Switch hardware in favour of a potential Nintendo Switch 2.
Rumours of a possible Nintendo Switch 2 constantly swirl the internet, born out of players’ desire for a hybrid system that is lighter, has longer battery life and can display higher-res graphics more akin to what the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S can achieve. Or in that general ballpark at least. The Switch is about to celebrate its sixth anniversary on the market, which is normally long enough for platform-holders to consider sunsetting their current hardware. The problem for gamers is that the existing model is still proving wildly popular. And as such, the Nintendo Switch as we know it is likely to stick around for a while longer yet.
So suggested Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa himself in a recent interview as translated by news outlet VGC, saying he believes the company is "entering uncharted territory" with its console business. Furukawa was candid in saying this means that Nintendo Switch sales may start to slow down, but it’s a challenge that the company is prepared to tackle through maintained production.
He adds that the "new challenge will be convincing consumers who are considering new purchases, replacement purchases, or additional purchases to pick up the Nintendo Switch.”
Switch magic
Nintendo has always steered clear of even alluding to a new Nintendo Switch 2 console coming soon. It has instead chosen to focus on bolstering the existing Switch’s catalogue with “new and classic titles” primed to engage existing and fresh audiences alike. You need only look at the reveals made in this week’s Nintendo Direct for evidence of this, where remasters of Metroid Prime, Kirby: Triple Deluxe and Ghost Trick sit alongside the likes of all-new upcoming titles like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4. The current strategy is clearly one that has worked well so far.
Furukawa’s recent comments further solidify how Nintendo Switch 2 is probably farther off than what most people predicted. This might irk Switch players wanting the brightest and best in graphical fidelity, true, but it’s hard to go against the console’s continued momentum that recently saw it surpass 122.55 million units sold worldwide – that’s more than Game Boy and PS4’s lifetime sales.
The Nintendo president has a positive outlook on "continuing the life cycle of the Nintendo Switch" saying that it will "lead to opportunities for additional software to be played by consumers." He cites stats from December 2022 as an example, which saw "total consumers [on Nintendo Switch] hit a record high".
Learning that Nintendo is doubling down on production of the current model Switch is ultimately a good business decision that also benefits the existing player base. In essence, buying into the whole new eco-system a Nintendo Switch 2 wouldn’t make sense when players are already being catered for brilliantly.
