Gamers who are holding out on buying the Nintendo Switch amid rumors of a successor or price cut should no longer do so, in light of a statement made by Shuntaro Furukawa, Nintendo’s president.
The Nintendo Switch took the title as the best-selling console of 2018 in the United States, beating the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The console’s achievement was made possible through record-breaking holiday season sales, as the PlayStation 4 won the monthly battle for sales from January to October last year.
As the Nintendo Switch is nearing its two-year birthday this March, speculation has circulated that Nintendo is planning a successor to the console, or at least a price cut. The Nintendo Switch may receive a screen upgrade or a bigger battery, according to some rumors.
Nintendo’s Furukawa has now shut down these rumors, through an interview with The Sankei News that was translated by Nintendo Everything. One of the questions was about the company’s goal of selling 20 million units of the Nintendo Switch within its fiscal year.
“It is an extremely ambitious, but worthwhile achievement. So, we will maintain this goal. Nintendo Switch is our primary sales objective, and we are not considering a successor or a price cut at this time,” Furukawa answered.
Nintendo appears confident that it will hit its goal, even without an updated Nintendo Switch or a discount to its current price tag. One of the primary drivers for the console is the strong offering of Nintendo Switch games. Furukuawa revealed that Super Mario Party sold 1.5 million copies worldwide in just one month after its launch in October, while Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee and Pikachu sold 3 million copies and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold 5 million copies in their first week.
In the interview, Furukawa also talked about Nintendo’s mobile gaming business, which is currently focused on building a relationship with gamers instead of selling products. Furukawa admitted that Nintendo is still learning about the industry, but there is a desire to release mobile games across multiple genres.
Nintendo, meanwhile, continues to look to expanding its ways of thinking, as part of its recruitment efforts is to hire employees who can adapt to the ebb and flow of the entertainment industry.
