Nintendo Hints It Could Support Switch Extensively, Even After New-Gen Hardware Release

Nintendo isn’t quite ready to say goodbye to the Switch, its second best-selling console ever. According to a new financial briefing from the company, it plans to support the Switch seemingly long after the release of rumored new-gen hardware expected to launch next year. 

It’s been a big week for Nintendo, with the company revealing that Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the fastest-selling Super Mario game in the series and that a live-action Legend of Zelda movie is on the way. We also learned yesterday the Switch has surpassed 132 million units sold on the heels of great results for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4. Now, Nintendo has pulled back the curtains a bit on its approach to the Switch platform moving forward. 

“Nintendo Switch will be entering its eighth year in March 2024,” the financial briefing reads. “We will continue to release new titles and content for Nintendo Switch without being bound by the traditional concept of the platform lifecycle.” 

That last line above indicates Nintendo might continue to support the Switch, even after the release of its next console. This isn’t too surprising, considering the Switch has sold so well, continues to sell well each financial quarter, and has a string of great releases in its future including a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. 

Nintendo goes on to say that it “would like to continue to see many consumers play Nintendo Switch, and to maintain our business momentum.” Sunsetting the Switch a second early would likely end that momentum, and Nintendo seems highly aware of that. 

Elsewhere in the financial briefing, Nintendo reveals over 330 million Nintendo Accounts have been created as of September 2023, noting that “even in regions where Nintendo Switch is not sold, our mobile applications have brought the Nintendo Account system to a wide range of users around the world.” It says it will “strive to further spread Nintendo Account and grow it into a vital business foundation for Nintendo heading into the future.” 

Within those 330 million Nintendo Accounts, 38 million members have subscribed 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 Game Informer’s review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and then check out these Zelda and Ganondorf Amiibo figures that are now out. After that, read Game Informer’s list of the 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!

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