Nintendo President Shoots Down Recent Rumors Surrounding New Hardware
Posted on November 08 2023 by Rod Lloyd
The internet has been set ablaze this past year by a half-dozen rumors and reports about a supposed Nintendo Switch successor due out in the near future. Industry analysts, unnamed manufacturers and development partners, and so-called “insiders” have all claimed that a new Nintendo console, often referred to as the “Switch 2,” is well along in development and coming out as early as next year. One particularly specific report indicated that Nintendo had even privately presented “next-generation” hardware to select developers at the Gamescom trade show in Cologne, Germany this past August.
During the company’s recent earnings call, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa took the time to address recent claims made about this supposed new console. Citing reports that Nintendo provided information about new hardware to software developers in 2022 and showed new hardware behind closed doors at the Gamescom event, Furukawa, according to Japanese publication Mainichi (translated by Nintendo Everything), asserted that “the rumors online that appear to be public information are not accurate.”
Furukawa also reportedly addressed a Nintendo patent recently published on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s PATENTSCOPE database showing a two-screen gaming device. Of the patent, Furukawa stated that the company “applied for a patent knowing the information would be made public. This does not necessarily mean we plan to equip future products with this.”
While Furukawa’s statements aren’t likely to put the “Switch 2” rumors to rest, it is nice to see Nintendo address the reports and speculation on the record. As we look forward to 2024, the best course of action in my opinion is to wait patiently for an official announcement by Nintendo itself regarding new hardware. Keep an eye on Zelda Dungeon for further developments.
How do you interpret Furukawa’s statements? Do you see new Nintendo hardware on the horizon? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Mainichi (via Nintendo Everything, Nintendo Life, VGC)
Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net
