That response immediately led to the question of whether or not it is indicative of a future announcement. Previously, Nintendo has offered more concrete denials of a new model, and Furukawa’s apparent wording leaves the door more open for an announcement at a later date.
It’s worth pointing out David Gibson, a games business analyst in the same Q&A session, reported a slightly different answer to the same question, saying there was “no new modeling plan” after the release of Mario and Monster Hunter Special Edition Switch models. Nintendo usually releases a full transcript of the Q&A shortly after the event, which should help clear up that wording.
Rumors have been circulating for quite some time about the release of a ‘Switch Pro’ or ‘Super Switch’. Early last year, reports suggested it could come in 2020, but, in talks with IGN, analysts are more conflicted about whether a Pro model could emerge in 2021.
Whether it arrives or not, we can bet Switch will do very well for Nintendo. The company just announced that the console had passed the 3DS, after reaching nearly 80 million units sold. Only the Switch Lite model is about to surpass the Wii U.
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. follow him Twitter. Do you have a tip for us? Discuss a possible story? Send an email to [email protected].