Nintendo Switch Is at the Midpoint of Its Life Cycle and Can Still Grow, Says Furukawa

Despite rumors to the contrary, you should probably avoid holding your breath on the Nintendo Switch Pro release. In a recent management Q&A, Nintendo Representative Director and President Shuntaro Furukawa wouldn't comment on the next game system, but that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. He also said the Nintendo Switch is still at the midpoint of its life cycle and has established the foundation for further growth that goes beyond the conventional console life cycle.

We are not able to comment about the next game system at this time. It is now the fifth year since the launch of Nintendo Switch, and the total hardware sell-through has exceeded 90 million units. We recognize that the system is at the mid-point of its lifecycle. The launch of Nintendo Switch – OLED Model has also been contributing to continued sales momentum and we are now offering consumers three Nintendo Switch models to match their play styles and lifestyles, as well as a wide range of software. With this, we believe a foundation for growth has been laid that exceeds what we previously considered to be a conventional hardware lifecycle. With regards to the next game system, we are considering many different things, but as far as the concept and launch timing are concerned, there is nothing we can share at this time.

In other words, there may not be a next-generation system for several years still. The Nintendo Switch launched in early 2017, which means Nintendo may strive to keep it around until 2027. Of course, there will be other revisions in the meantime, and one of them may eventually end up being slightly more powerful than the current Nintendo Switch. For brand new hardware, though, it sounds like there's a long wait ahead.

The Q&A also featured revered game designer Shigeru Miyamoto (officially Nintendo's Representative Director, Fellow) discussing the upcoming Super Mario movie.

I have great expectations for the Super Mario CG-animated film. For decades, our approach has been to bring smiles to consumers by creating each product with great care. With visual content as well, we want to continue to create content that bring smiles to generations of consumers around the world. We recently announced the film release date because production is getting closer to completion. Going forward, we want to actively utilize other IP as well. With visual content, people can experience Nintendo IP in a variety of places, so I think it's good to have a lot of content that is accessible for people who do not have a dedicated game device. However, we want to continue to make each title with care, so I cannot talk about a specific number. We want to work diligently to build up a strong offering.

The Super Mario movie is currently set to launch in theaters on December 21st, featuring Chris Pratt voicing Mario, Charlie Day voicing Luigi, Seth Rogen voicing Donkey Kong, Anya Taylor-Joy voicing Princess Peach, and Jack Black voicing Bowser.