Nintendo revealed in its latest financial earnings call that it’s abandoning the console lifecycle system and will continue to release titles on the Switch despite its age.
The Nintendo Switch is entering its eighth year on the market, which is a surprisingly long time for a Nintendo home console. Usually, Nintendo already has the successor system lined up and ready to launch this far into a console’s lifecycle.
In Japan, there were seven years between the NES and the SNES, six years between the SNES and the N64, five years between the N64 and the GameCube, five years between the GameCube and Wii, six years between the Wii and Wii U, and five years between the Wii U and the Switch.
Nintendo has been quashing rumors about the Switch 2, suggesting that a new system won’t be revealed anytime soon. This is due to changes in how the company is approaching the video game business in comparison to its treatment of previous consoles.
Nintendo plans to continue supporting the Switch despite its age
The latest financial briefing on the Nintendo corporate site featured a statement about the future of the Nintendo Switch, which Wario64 has helpfully uploaded on Twitter/X. According to Nintendo, the traditional platform lifecycle no longer binds the company, so it will continue to support the Switch.
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Future outlook for Nintendo Switch:-entering its eight year in March 2024-Nintendo will continue to release new titles and content "without being bound by the traditional concept of the platform lifecycle."-Going forward, like to continue to see many consumers play Switch,… pic.twitter.com/6D7WWBLzQV
— Wario64 (@Wario64) November 8, 2023
The fact that the Switch is Nintendo’s second best-selling system (just behind the Nintendo DS) likely contributes to this thinking, as there is a massive audience on the platform that is continuing to buy games. There’s no particular rush for Nintendo to leave them behind.
The gradual shift to digital games and an abundance of third-party support also means that the Switch can continue to stay relevant in the future in ways that the 3DS and the Wii U could not. Indie developers and third-party companies could keep the Switch going for years with new content.
One concerning aspect is the lack of first-party games on the schedule, especially now that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been released. If Nintendo is planning on supporting the Switch, then it really needs to announce some homegrown titles to keep fans interested.
The Nintendo Switch is incredibly popular, especially in Japan, and the PS5 & Xbox Series X/S generation hasn’t quite left it in the dust regarding hardware. The Switch could continue to dominate for years to come so long as Nintendo is willing to keep bringing high-quality titles to the system.