Update:
Although Nintendo didn’t mention the Switch 2 in its recent financial results, president Shuntaro Furukawa has gone to the unusual step of specifically denying three of the most widely shared rumours about the next gen console.
‘Rumours are circulating mainly on the internet, as if they were public information, but they are inaccurate,’ he said, via Google Translate and Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun.
He then referred to reports suggesting that Nintendo had showed the new console to developers and publishers in 2022, which is possibly a reference to comments made by Activision boss Bobby Kotick during Microsoft’s court battle with the FTC – where he implied he already knew all about the Switch 2.
Furukawa then denied suggestions that Nintendo had demonstrated a new model of console at an ‘overseas event in summer 2023’, an apparent reference to rumours that hardware demos were shown at Gamescom.
Finally, he even went to the trouble of insisting that the recently discovered dual screen patent was nothing to do with the Switch 2, even though many already assumed that was the case.
It’s unusual for any company, least of Nintendo, to refer to specific rumours in this way but all the more so given Nintendo has given small hints that the Switch 2 is on the way, with references to a ‘new platform’.
As far as Furukawa is concerned today though, the Switch 2 doesn’t exist and he’s clearly not in the mood to talk about it at the moment.
Original story:
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has boosted sales of Nintendo Switch games but there’s still not even a hint about the next console.
Going into 2023 there were two big hopes for long-gestating video game reveals, in GTA 6 and the Switch 2. Since it’s now November, it’s looking almost certain that neither of them will be shown in public, especially as they’re not likely to be unveiled at the year’s one remaining preview event: The Game Awards in December.
The Switch will be seven years old in March, which under normal circumstances would suggest a successor is imminent, but despite all the rumours Nintendo refuses to say anything. With their new financial results there was a golden opportunity to at least give a hint, but president Shuntaro Furukawa has point blank refused to comment.
It’s a shame, because he would’ve been in a good mood, as Nintendo has raised its full year sales forecasts and revealed that sales of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom have almost hit 20 million worldwide.
The continued success of the original Switch is the wildcard that makes it harder to predict when Nintendo is planning to replace it, although the fact that there are no major games scheduled after March next year does suggest they’re getting ready for an autumn 2024 launch.
Trying to predict Nintendo, or apply normal logic to their situation, is always folly though, especially as the raised expectations are more to do with the weakness of the yen (thereby favouring exports) than any major increase in demand for the console.
Nintendo has said it expects to sell 5 million more games than previously predicted though, for a total of 185 million by the end of March next year.
Top 10 selling Nintendo Switch games
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 57.01 million
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 43.38 million
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 32.44 million
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – 31.15 million
- Super Mario Odyssey – 26.95 million
- Pokémon Sword and Shield – 26.02 million
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – 23.23 million
- Super Mario Party – 19.66 million
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – 19.50 million
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 16.70 million
The Switch’s lifetime total now stands at 132.46 million, which confirms it as the third best selling console of all time. It’s only beaten by the Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2, which stand at 154 and 159 million, respectively.
Whether it beats those depends on when exactly the Switch 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) is released, but there probably isn’t enough time left to catch up.
Unlike other companies, Nintendo is always happy to reveal sales figures, with not only Zelda doing well but Pikmin 4 being confirmed as the best-selling entry in the series – although that’s largely due to its greater than expected success in Japan.
You can see the list of the top selling games above, with Mario games getting a major boost thanks to the success of the movie, with Mario Kart 8 selling an additional 1.55 million over the last three months, Mario Party Superstars an extra 1.27 million, and Super Mario 3D World an additional 1.3 million.
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