Don’t hold your breath on a new Nintendo Switch model or a permanent price cut—they may not come in the next few months. As reported by Sankei News in Japan, Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa appears to have put to rest speculations of a Switch redesign or price decrease for 2019.
Relevant statement from Furukawa’s response to a question concerning the company’s fiscal year sales target of 20 million units. This is his response (as translated by Nintendo Everything):
It’s a huge feat, but it’s one that was well worth making. Our focus will therefore remain unchanged. In terms of sales, Nintendo Switch is our top priority, and we have no plans to replace it or lower its price anytime soon.
The revelation at the end of his comment seems out of nowhere, but it may have been a recognition of the rumors that have been circulating online lately, saying Nintendo is working on a cheaper Switch or plans to enhance the Switch’s hardware.
This doesn’t rule out the possibility of a Nintendo console upgrade this year (E3 2019 is still a ways off), but it does indicate that doing so isn’t a high priority for the company.
Furukawa went on to talk about Nintendo’s unprecedented performance in 2018 and the company’s dedication to mobile as a “way of supporting [its] pillars of income” in the rest of the conversation. When asked how to retain talent in the current economic climate, he also had an intriguing response:
While we are boosting our efforts to recruit highly skilled employees, we are also facing competition from other areas, and we intend to address them head-on. The goal of Nintendo, an entertainment corporation, is to put a smile on people’s faces.
Since the success of our company is dependent on the ebb and flow of the times, we reward those who can change with the tides. We’ve expanded internship opportunities in the past to pique interest in Nintendo’s working methods, and we hope to keep doing so.
Finally, the Nintendo Switch will not be sold for less than $299.