Nintendo appears to be conceptualizing its long-awaited successor to the 2017-released Nintendo Swap, nevertheless it isn’t giving a lot particulars to what it may be, or when it would truly exist. The Legend of Zelda developer is, nonetheless, prepared to say that no matter and at any time when the brand new console releases, Nintendo Accounts—which give gamers entry to on-line facilities just like the eShop—will probably be necessary in making a easy transition to it.
Learn Extra: Nintendo Says Don’t Count on A New Swap This 12 months Both
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa defined his intention for Nintendo Accounts throughout a latest shareholder Q&A, a translation of the occasion says.
“Within the transition from Nintendo Swap to the next-generation console, we want to make each effort to make sure that clients could make the transition easily whereas utilizing their Nintendo Account,” Furukawa replied to a query questioning if seven years of the Nintendo Swap marks its end-of-life, like how the Tremendous NES rose to exchange the NES seven years after it got here out.
That mentioned, although Furukawa would take into account the Swap’s yr seven as “uncharted territory,” and he accepts that the Swap gained’t promote as simply because it has previously, he nonetheless praises its software program.
“By no means earlier than in {hardware} has software program bought at such a tempo,” he mentioned. “Like final yr’s Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and this yr’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo Swap titles bought greater than 10 million models within the first three days of their launch.”
These spectacular gross sales numbers are clearly necessary to Nintendo. Although Furukawa was easy in that Nintendo Accounts would carry over to a brand new console, he was much less prepared to straight reply to a query asking for his ideas on transferring “downloaded software program purchases on Nintendo Swap [to play on] future sport consoles.”
“Such as you did once you switched from Wii U to Nintendo Swap,” the shareholder mentioned.
“Our firm is continually contemplating numerous future {hardware} specs, however I want to chorus from making particular feedback on future {hardware} at the moment,” Furukawa replied. “Going ahead, we want to proceed to suggest distinctive methods to play video games on devoted sport consoles that mix {hardware} and software program, so please sit up for it.”
Learn Extra: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Is Nintendo’s First $70 Recreation
Nintendo is the most recent developer to embrace the $70-per-game business norm. It will be irritating if gamers had been unable to take their new video games to a brand new console, although one thing like a Swap 2 or Swap Professional may be very unlikely to materialize throughout the yr, one other 2023 shareholder Q&A suggests.
However although we’re apparently in it with the Swap for the very lengthy haul, Furukawa’s reply is comically nonspecific. At the least I’ll most likely be capable to hold my Nintendo Account profile image.
