At the recent Nintendo Shareholders meeting, unsurprisingly, the majority of questions were about a hypothetical next-generation console that will follow the current Nintendo Switch. The Switch has been around for seven years, leading many to suspect that Nintendo will release another console sooner rather than later. However, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa remained tight-lipped, stating that Nintendo was “not able to share details” at this time.
However, Furukawa did provide a few pieces of information about this potential console. He stated that Nintendo was interested in continuing to explore consoles that “blended hardware and software” due to the rise of digital-only gaming. He also promised that Nintendo account holders would be able to use that account to ensure a “smooth transition” from the Switch to its successor. No details about how that transition would work were provided, only that the Nintendo account would be involved.
Another topic Furukawa refused to speak on was the potential implementation of Nintendo DS and 3DS titles on the Nintendo Switch via a system similar to the existing “Nintendo 64 Online” option. The president reaffirmed that Nintendo is dedicated to making titles from earlier consoles available to Switch gamers, but was not able to speak about DS/3DS titles in particular.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa says they plan to make a smooth transition for customers from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console by using the Nintendo Account!
– There are currently 290 million Nintendo Accounts across console & mobile.https://t.co/Y9O8vmeySz pic.twitter.com/OrIYQ1K5XU
— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) June 27, 2023
Perhaps the one area in which Nintendo’s president was willing to speak at length was the company’s partnership with Universal Studios to produce theme parks based on Nintendo properties. He confirmed that an expansion to the current “Super Nintendo World” at Universal Studios Osaka is planned for 2024. The expansion will focus on characters and locations from the Donkey Kong series. Universal Studios Osaka also plans to host Super Mario Bros-themed parades and festivals over the next year. While a “Super Nintendo World” in California is already confirmed, Furukawa revealed that the next locations the company plans to target are Singapore and Orlando, Florida.
In general, Furukawa and other speakers at the meeting were proud of Nintendo’s performance so far in 2023. The president praised the ongoing success of Splatoon 3 and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as well as the recent high sales of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. He did acknowledge the disappointing sales of Fire Emblem Engage compared to predecessor Fire Emblem Three Houses, but did not speak in detail about future plans for the franchise. At the conclusion of the meeting, Furukawa promised that Nintendo will have many exciting games and announcements for fans to look forward to in the future!
