Nintendo boss shuts down Switch Pro rumours: “We have no plans”

Despite rumours of mass production starting soon, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa claims it's not happening in 2020

While the rumours of an upgraded Nintendo Switch Pro have been swirling online for quite some time, Shuntaro Furukawa, president of Nintendo, has all but shut down the rumours during a recent financial briefing. The Nintendo boss claims that there’s no Switch Pro – or any other new model of Switch – on the cards for release in 2020.

According to Furukawa, Nintendo is instead focused on driving the current offerings forward in 2020. “Regarding Nintendo Switch, we believe that it is important to continue to communicate the appeal of both Nintendo Switch systems and expand the installed base,” he explained. “Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020”.

So, that’s that – it doesn’t get much more official than the head of Nintendo, after all. But the question is, does this indicate the Switch Pro rumours were fake? Or does it simply mean Nintendo doesn’t want to compete with the PS5 and Xbox Series X, opting instead to launch a more powerful – but still not next-gen level – version of the Nintendo Switch next year instead? That’s our thinking right now, but only time will tell.

The original rumours suggested that both the Nintendo Switch Lite and Switch Pro would be available to buy by the end of 2019, but as we now know, that certainly wasn’t the case.

Switch Pro-aside, Furukawa also noted that the Switch Lite is off to a good start, selling almost two million units in the first two weeks, helping to boost overall Switch sales above those of 2018. This interest caused Nintendo to revise sales expectations, with the company now predicted to shift 19.5 million units by the end of the fiscal year, up from 18 million originally.

It’s not quite there yet, apparently, with claims that there’s still room for Switch growth in the market. “We feel that we have not yet fully communicated the special features and appeal of the Nintendo Switch Lite, so we will continue to address this going forward.”

For more on Nintendo's upcoming console plans, take a look at our Nintendo Switch 2 rumour roundup. 

Source: Reuters | GamesIndustry.biz