Doug Bowser Won’t Comment on Switch 2, but Bigs Up Nintendo Account for Upcoming ‘Transition’ [IGN]

As rumours of Nintendo’s next-gen console grow ever louder, the boss of Nintendo of America has pointed to the Nintendo Account as a constant during the inevitable “transition”.

Nintendo is expected to launch its next generation console at some point in 2024, with the Switch showing its age at six-and-a-half years old. Development kits are reportedly now with partner studios.

Apparently this Switch 2 can be used in portable mode, like the original Switch, and has an LCD screen as opposed to an OLED screen in order to keep costs down. It also comes with a cartridge slot for physical games. However, the crucial question of backwards compatibility with Nintendo Switch games remains unclear.

Nintendo has yet to comment on the reports, but in a new interview with Inverse, Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser (no, not that Bowser), was asked about it anyway. Here’s the question from Inverse:

“There have been reports that Nintendo showed off a successor to the Switch behind closed doors during Gamescom. As we have discussed, the Switch has had a long lifespan and a huge install base. How — when you consider the idea of a successor to the Switch — do you think about helping those people who are on the console transfer to the next platform while reassuring them that the content and investment in the Switch will somehow transfer to its successor?”

Predictably, Bowser refused to comment on the reports, but did suggest users’ Nintendo Account will continue from this generation into the next:

“Well, first I can’t comment — or I won’t comment, I should say — on the rumours that are out there. But one thing we’ve done with the Switch to help with that communication and transition is the formation of the Nintendo Account. In the past, every device we transitioned to had a whole new account system. Creating the Nintendo Account will allow us to communicate with our players if and when we make a transition to a new platform, to help ease that process or transition.

“Our goal is to minimise the dip you typically see in the last year of one cycle and the beginning of another. I can’t speak to the possible features of a new platform, but the Nintendo Account is a strong basis for having that communication as we make the transition.”

In May, Nintendo said it’s the long-rumoured Switch successor wouldn’t release until April 2024 at the earliest. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa explained during an investors presentation that the company isn’t considering new hardware in the 2023/24 financial year, which ends March 31, 2024.

This comes despite a decline in Switch sales. The console sold close to 18 million units in the last financial year, down from 23 million sold the year before and 28 million the year before that. Nintendo isn’t looking to rush a new console out to tackle this decline though, as it has forecast another drop for this financial year.

“Sustaining the Switch’s sales momentum will be difficult in its seventh year,” said Furukawa during the presentation. “Our goal of selling 15 million units this fiscal year is a bit of a stretch, but we will do our best to bolster demand going into the holiday season so that we can achieve the goal.”

In September, Nintendo said it had moved on to a brand new The Legend of Zelda game, ruling out Tears of the Kingdom DLC. It seems likely this new Zelda game will launch on Nintendo’s next console.

Meanwhile, Furukawa has pledged support for the ageing Switch with games through to the end of the 2025 financial year. That means Switch owners can expect new Nintendo games until at least the end of March 2025. “We are still working on software for the Switch for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025,” Furukawa said.

In the shorter term, Nintendo will focus on maintaining the momentum of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the Super Mario Bros. Movie, Furukawa said, and ensure the Switch meets holiday demand from first-time buyers as well as those looking for a second console or a replacement.

Nintendo has a number of new Switch games in the works, including a Super Mario RPG remake, and Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet DLC. There’s also Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door HD for 2024, a Mario vs. Donkey Kong Remake due out in February, Princess Peach: Showtime! in March, and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD for summer 2024. Nintendo also still lists the MIA Metroid Prime 4 as a Nintendo Switch game.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.