There have been off and on rumors of a new Switch model, commonly referred to as the “Switch Pro,” for years now, but it seems like Nintendo isn’t in a hurry to reveal or release the rumored device.
Following on the heels of Nintendo’s latest earnings call, analysts at the Japanese website Nikkei seem particularly convinced that Nintendo won’t release or announce a new Switch model during the remainder of 2022.
While unconfirmed by Nintendo itself, conversations with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa and insights from the company’s earnings call have led analysts at the publication to believe that Nintendo’s focus is firmly on achieving its goals for the current Switch models rather than on launching a new device.
Comments from Furukawa about the company’s current supply woes may have informed this analysis. Speaking to Nikkei, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that the company’s plan is to focus on building as many Switch consoles as possible with the supplies it has. “Normally, we stockpile inventory in the summer to prepare for the year-end sales season, which is at its peak,” said Furukawa. “This summer, we are not able to produce as many as usual.”
Last year, a new Switch model did come out, but the Switch OLED focused on improving the device’s screen rather than offering a more powerful version of the core device.
Nintendo does seem to be feeling the impacts of supply chain issues. As of its most recent earnings call, unit sales for the Switch family of consoles had a 23 percent decline compared to 2021. A shortage of semiconductors have noticeably affected production, but Nintendo said it hopes the situation will improve by the end of the summer.
Despite the dip in console sales for the first quarter, Furukawa stated that Nintendo is aim to ship 21 million Switch units by the time of March 2023, when its fiscal year ends.
Demand for the Switch has been stable, but Nintendo acknowledged that a decline in new third-party games affected sales output for the quarter. In terms of first-party, the Switch had some notable performers for the quarter, such as March’s Kirby & the Forgotten Land (1.88 million units) and June’s Mario Strikers: Battle League (1.91 million units).
For the rest of its fiscal plans for 2022, Nintendo hopes that releases such as the recent Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and November’s Pokémon Violet and Scarlet will help “reinvigorate” Switch sales.