Nintendo wants to maintain the Switch's dual focus of being both a portable and home console “to carry over the experience we've already built” and reduce development costs in the future, it is said.
Speaking to investors, Nintendo executive Ko Shiota said the company's current Switch hardware had benefited from the “merger” of software teams that previously focused on development for separate handheld and home console platforms. , like in the 3DS and Wii U era.
While Nintendo hasn't announced it yet, the Switch 2 is also expected to be another hybrid console similar to the company's current Switch hardware.
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Discussing Nintendo's development process in more detail, design legend Shigeru Miyamoto said the Mario maker must focus on developing original, polished creative ideas that “have never existed before” as its research and development costs rise. every year.
Rising costs were “in some ways inevitable” as games became more complex and development teams grew in scale, Miyamoto said, but Nintendo was still focused on ensuring that original ideas could germinate, with time to “properly nurture developers who take this unique concept seriously.” “.
“We continue to refine our products until we are confident.”
“We believe that what we create is more important than the amount spent on development,” Miyamoto explained. “We continue to refine our products until we are confident we have created something our consumers will be satisfied with.”
Nintendo must spend time finding ideas worth perfecting, Miyamoto continued, saying that this is a concept that “hasn't changed since the Nintendo Entertainment System era” 40 years ago.
“Everyone has different interests, so we can't make general statements about which ideas are worth pursuing,” Miyamoto continued. “However, one thing we are sure of: it should be something that did not exist in the past.
“The more you polish something that has never existed before, the more value it brings. We believe it is important to nurture developers who are serious about this unique concept, allocate funds for development if necessary, and release games only after we are sure in the product and repeat this process over and over again.
Not all game ideas need big budgets, Miyamoto concluded, noting that simple but intriguing ideas could still be turned into projects with broad appeal “without incurring significant costs.”
“With today's technology it is possible to create fun games with a small number of developers in a short period of time,” Miyamoto concluded. “We believe it is important not to lose sight of this perspective.”
Nintendo's continued silence on the Switch 2 was broken, briefly, this week with confirmation that its Switch successor would be backwards compatible. When could we hear more about Switch 2? This week, an analyst told Eurogamer that “the ship has sailed” on a 2024 reveal for Switch 2.