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“The momentum of the Nintendo Switch hasn’t stopped,” President
Shuntaro Furukawa told reporters.
His comments come a day after Nintendo reported a 60% drop in
its fiscal first half profit, largely because of declining sales
of the Switch, which now is in its eighth year, as well as
Switch games.
Furukawa did not give details on the greatly anticipated
upcoming machine but stressed all current game software will be
playable on the next Switch.
People may want to keep playing the offerings from the rich
lineup already on sale, as well as the games they own, he added,
insisting the Kyoto-based maker behind the Super Mario franchise
wasn’t hemmed in by the idea of a console’s “life cycle.”
Nintendo is investing in both hardware and software development
research, as well as movies, merchandising, amusement parks and
music, Furukawa said.
Another Mario movie is set to be released in April 2026, a
sequel to last year’s hit film, and a Zelda movie is also being
planned, although a date wasn’t given. Movies boost game and
machine sales, and the absence of a movie this year was one
reason sales faltered, according to Nintendo.
Theme park Super Nintendo World is opening in Orlando next year,
and another is set to open in Singapore. They’re already open in
Japan and Los Angeles.
Official stores also help boost Nintendo fans, and a new one is
opening in San Francisco next year. Nintendo stores are already
open in New York, Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto, in addition to the
temporary pop-ups in various cities.
More than 100 million people around the world are playing the
Switch, including those of all ages, according to the company.
Nintendo's shares, which have risen over the last year, had
added 3.3% by midday Wednesday.
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