While US states were busy counting votes to confirm who would be the next president on Tuesday night, Nintendo's Japanese Twitter account was busy confirming a key backwards compatibility feature for Nintendo's upcoming “successor.” Switch”, which is still officially announced officially.
“At today's corporate management policy briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch,” Nintendo posted in a social media update attributed to company president Shintaro Furukawa. “Nintendo Switch Online will also be available on the successor to the Nintendo Switch.”
This is Furukawa. In today's corporate governance policy briefing, we announced that Nintendo Switch software will also be playable on the successor to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch Online will also be available on the successor to the Nintendo Switch. More information about…
– 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) November 6, 2024
In the full policy brief referenced in that post, Nintendo adds that it “believes[s] “It is important for the future of Nintendo to make use of the Nintendo Account and carry over the good relationship we have built with the more than 100 million users who play annually on Nintendo Switch to its successor.” The company also makes the (perhaps obvious) clarification that “In addition to being able to play the Nintendo Switch software they currently own, consumers will be able to choose their next purchase from a wide selection of titles released for Nintendo Switch. [on its successor]”.
A crucial feature
Nintendo offered broad, vague hints about the backwards compatibility of its upcoming console more than a year ago, saying at the time that “in terms of the transition from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation machine, we want to do everything we can to to be carried out without problems”. transition our customers, while using the Nintendo Account.” Over the past few months, we have received multiple reports that this type of backwards compatibility was already in the works across supply chain and game development sources.