Nintendo isn’t ready to say goodbye to the Switch, its second best-selling console. According to the company’s new financial briefing, it plans to support the Switch after the release of the rumored next-gen hardware starting next year.
It’s been a big week for Nintendo, with Super Mario Bros. Wonder becoming the fastest-selling Super Mario game in the series and the company revealing that a live-action Legend of Zelda movie is on the way. We learned yesterday that the Switch sold 132 million units, hot on the heels of strong results for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4. Now, Nintendo Switch has taken back the way the platform moves a bit. Next.
“Nintendo Switch Will Enter Its Eighth Year in March 2024,” The Economic briefing reads “We will continue to release new titles and content for Nintendo Switch without committing to the traditional concept of a platform lifecycle.”
The last line above suggests that Nintendo may continue to support the Switch even after the release of its next console. It’s not too surprising considering the Switch has sold so well, continues to sell well every fiscal quarter, and has great releases in its future, including a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Nintendo says “many customers want to continue playing Nintendo Switch and maintain the momentum of our business.” Sunsetting the Switch a second earlier would end that momentum, and Nintendo would be more than aware of it.
Elsewhere in the financial briefing, Nintendo reveals that 330 million Nintendo Accounts will be created by September 2023, “even in regions where the Nintendo Switch is not sold, our mobile apps have brought the Nintendo Account system to a wide range of users around the world.” It will “strive to further diversify the Nintendo account and grow into an important business foundation for Nintendo in the future.”
Of those 330 million Nintendo Accounts, 38 million members subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online and 117 million users play their Switch annually, highlighting the Switch’s legs as it enters its eighth year on the market.
For more, read on Game Informers The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review, and then check out these Zelda and Ganondorf amiibo figures that are out now. After that, read on Game Informers List of Top 10 Best Games on Switch.
How long do you think Nintendo will support the Switch after it releases its next console? Let us know in the comments below!