Rumors Around Nintendo Switch Successor Are Denied by Nintendo President

Rumors surrounding the successor to the Nintendo Switch have been heating up. However, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa seems eager to challenge the accuracy of these claims (thanks, Nintendo Everything).

In a recent financial call, the contents of which were detailed on the Japanese site Mainichi, Furukawa addressed some of the latest ‘Switch 2′ discussions. In response to the claim that Nintendo’s follow-up console was showcased behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom event, the company president stated that “The rumors online that appear to be public information are not accurate” (according to Simon Griffin and SatsumaFS’ translation for Nintendo Everything).

Remember, according to a rumor relayed by both Eurogamer and VGC, certain developers had the opportunity to see a demo of the next Nintendo system at the Cologne conference this year. The rumor also suggested that the console was capable of running Breath of the Wild at 4K 60fps as well as Epic’s The Matrix Awakens Unreal Engine 5 demo.

Furukawa also commented on the company’s dual-screen patent that sparked rumors of a potential ‘Switch 2’ design just weeks ago. According to Nintendo Everything’s translation, Furukawa stated the following:

“We applied for a patent knowing the information would be made public. This does not necessarily mean we plan to equip future products with this.”

While it may be tempting to dismiss all these rumors based on the president’s comments, it’s important to remember that business statements like these are rarely straightforward. It’s not entirely surprising that Nintendo would deny or challenge rumors this close to the holiday season, as news of an upcoming console could potentially harm sales for the current Switch SKU as consumers choose to wait instead of making a purchase for Christmas.

It’s also worth noting that Nintendo has made denials in the past, only for the rumors to be confirmed shortly after. For instance, its official statement denying a redesign for the 3DS was later proven untrue. So, while business statements can be taken into account, history tells us that we shouldn’t rule out all of these rumors.

As of now, it’s unlikely that any official word on the ‘Switch 2’ will be coming our way this year, with signs pointing to a 2024 announcement and possibly a release. For a comprehensive look at everything we know about the next console so far, including chips, features, and release rumors, take a look at our guide below.

What do you make of Furukawa’s comments? Is it worth taking them with a pinch of salt? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

[source mainichi.jp, via nintendoeverything.com]