A new rumor is going around that suggests that Nintendo’s next console is well on its way.
As reported by WCCFTech, Nash Weedle has shared that a dev kit for the next Nintendo console had been sent to Spain. Based on Nash Weedle’s prior posts, it is heavily suggested that the studio that received the dev kit is MercurySteam.
You may or may not trust in Nash Weedle’s track record, but thankfully, we don’t need to rely solely on them to verify this possibility. No less than the FTC federal trial vs the Microsoft Activision deal has revealed that other industry colleagues, including Activision, are well aware that Nintendo is already preparing their next Nintendo console.
Interestingly enough, Activision used the code name “NG Switch”, meaning next generation Switch. Activision themselves had revealed that the next console will be a continuation of the Nintendo Switch in some form.
Now, some outlets are reporting this as proof that the next Nintendo console will be getting revealed soon, but that isn’t necessarily the case. The launch games coming for this upcoming console will require that developers have the dev kits well in advance of the actual launch of the platform. That could be as far ahead as two to three years in advance, especially if there are still details in the platform that have not yet been finalized.
And it can even be longer if we have to take into account the current average game development period of five years. While it certainly seems unlikely, and probably impractical, for Nintendo to keep the Switch going solo for another five years, this is simply demonstrating that dev kit releases do not necessarily mean a game platform is getting announced soon.
Of course, the conventional wisdom is that Nintendo can still expect to sell more Nintendo Switch units with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. However, we can now also add Super Mario Bros. Wonder to that list, coming later this year.
While The Legend of Zelda games have been certified hits recently, Mario is Nintendo’s more dependable and enduring franchise. The pending release of a new Mario 2D platformer, especially after the tremendous success of the Super Mario Bros Movie, means that the Nintendo Switch has still yet to hit its stride in the sales charts.
Nintendo obviously has their plans in place to keep the Switch relevant for a little bit longer, so is the next Nintendo platform getting announced soon? Don’t expect that to be too soon.
