Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa denies that the company is working on a two-screen successor to its successful Switch handheld. Reports of a new Nintendo console surfaced last year, but the Nintendo executive calls these rumors “untrue.”
Nintendo President calls Switch 2 rumors “untrue”
As reported by Japanese publication Mainichi, Furukawa held a press conference on November 7 summarizing the company’s last fiscal year. However, the Switch 2 was notably absent from his statement. In fact, he was quick to shoot down such rumors when asked about them by the press.
“Rumors are circulating mainly on the Internet as if they were public information, but they are inaccurate,” said Furukawa. The Nintendo executive rejected claims that the company shared Switch 2 development kits with game developers. He also denied the report that Nintendo held a closed-door Switch 2 presentation at Gamescom 2023.
Furukawa also answered a question about Nintendo’s recent patent filing for a dual-screen gaming device. Unfortunately for anyone waiting for a successor to the 3DS, a new two-screen console probably won’t hit shelves soon. “I applied with the understanding that would be made public,” Furukawa said about the patent filing. “It does not mean that it will be installed in a product.”
This news may be disappointing for some fans, especially considering the Switch’s age. While it is certainly an innovative design, many consider it behind the times in terms of performance. However, while Nintendo will have to replace the Switch eventually, that isn’t going to happen soon.
According to the November 7 press conference, the Nintendo Switch sold 6.84 million units this year, a 2.4% increase over last year. The company hopes to sell 15 million by March 2024, which Furukawa believes hinges on its performance in the 2023 Holiday Season.
