During a recent Japanese investor Q&A session, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa spoke about the company’s plans for long-term relationships with customers. In addition, Furukawa stated the importance of smoothly transitioning from Nintendo Switch to next-generation hardware when the time eventually comes. Nintendo wants to maintain the strong install base of over 100 million with a streamlined transition.
Nintendo is focused on reducing the risks of transitioning to next-generation hardware by “building long-term relationships with our customers”. The company is doing so partly through Nintendo accounts and using IP outside of gaming such as the upcoming Super Mario Bros movie. Nintendo Switch software such as the upcoming games lineup going into Spring 2023 and services will bolster these relationships going into a 6th year on the market.
Here’s what Furukawa had to say, via VGC:
“We have already announced a portion of our software roadmap releasing up to next spring,” he said. “Unlike the past, we continue to have a large variety of games scheduled to be released, even beyond five years of release. This is because the Nintendo Switch has had such a smooth launch, allowing us to focus all of our development resources on a single platform.
“However, the question of whether we will be able to just as smoothly transition from the Nintendo Switch to the next generation of hardware is a major concern for us. Based on our experiences with the Wii, Nintendo DS, and other hardware, it is very clear that one of the major obstacles is how to easily transition from one hardware to the next.
“To help alleviate this risk, we’re focusing on building long-term relationships with our customers. While we will continue launching new software on the Nintendo Switch, we will also provide services that also use Nintendo Accounts and other IP outside of gaming software. We intend for this to help build a lasting impact with our customers.”
Nintendo plans to reveal more games soon as the upcoming lineup is just a portion of what’s to come throughout the second half of 2022. A summer Nintendo Direct is expected to show a glimpse into games releasing in early 2023 as well. Recently, Nintendo held an Indie World showcase with tons of indie games coming to Switch over the next year or so.
Lastly, Nintendo updated sales numbers for fiscal year ending on March 31st, 2022 are available here.
