Nintendo is a slow-moving beast. Just ask its die-hard fans, who have been waiting almost a decade for the Switch's successor to stop being a distant dream and start being something they can use to play games. Xenoblade Chronicles. But Nintendo says being old-fashioned is a good thing, and more than that, it's a strategy.
in a translated version From Nintendo's second quarter financial report, president Shuntaro Furukawa attributes its growing success to Nintendo's ability to curate an image. Decades ago, first-party titles like Metroid and The Legend of Zelda for the NES helped establish Nintendo as the go-to video game company for cerebral fantasy games. That association hasn't changed much in the 39 years since the NES was first introduced to the American market, and Furukawa is proud of it.
“We believe that the growth of Nintendo's intellectual property is due more than anything to the large number of people around the world who play and enjoy our games,” says Furukawa. “Nintendo has carefully crafted each title,” such as Super Mario Party Jamboree, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon 3, “to align with the characteristics of the intellectual property,” he continues. “This focus on software development has remained consistent since we first developed titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System.”
That said, Nintendo is open to some change. Particularly when it comes to important matters: roller coasters and stuff.
“In recent years we have been expanding Nintendo's intellectual property in a wide range of fields, such as visual content, theme parks, mobile applications and products,” says Furukawa. “These initiatives aim to create ongoing touchpoints not only with current Nintendo players, but also with those who are taking a break from gaming.” More Tanooki Mario plushies may not satisfy Switch 2 fans' need for Furukawa, but at least it's something.
Developers working on Nintendo Switch 2 games have reportedly been told not to expect the console before April 2025..