No matter what happens next with Nintendo regarding their next system, the Nintendo Switch will be one of the “Hallmark Moments” they can treasure. After the debacle with the Wii U, many people thought that Nintendo would be “done” if the Switch failed. But the Switch didn’t fail, not even close. It was flying off the shelves when it was released in 2017, and that year was one of the best gaming years that Nintendo or ANY company ever produced. Fast forward to 2023, and The Big N is still crushing it with the Switch and its software lineup.
That brings us to the recent financial briefing that occurred with Nintendo, where they shared updates on the latest fiscal quarter and did a Q&A with investors. One of the things that Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer Shinya Takahashi noted during that meeting is that the hardware and software teams are working at a level that they didn’t do before. Specifically, they’re working “as one” to ensure that the hardware and software are being used wisely and thus, delivering better products:
“The integrated hardware-software concept hasn’t changed, but it used to be that software development often did not begin until after the hardware development had been completed. Recently, the hardware and software development teams have been holding discussions as a single unit, starting in the early stages of hardware development. This allows us to create software that takes advantage of hardware characteristics and develop hardware that enable new ideas in software. The hardware and software teams will continue to work as one, not just for the development of our dedicated video game platform hardware and software, but also for accessories and other hardware products, in order to create products that consumers enjoy playing.”
You can see some of these synergy moments when you look at games like WarioWare Move It, where players have to use the Joy-Cons to match the movements on screen perfectly. You can also attribute some of the success of Super Mario Bros Wonder to that balance between the teams because they pushed the visuals, animations, and what the Switch is typically doing to new heights!
What many people will wonder, however, is what Nintendo and its teams will do to ensure that the Nintendo Switch successor has that same level of quality. After all, the Switch will be hard to top, and so they have to work together with whatever comes next to repeat the success they have had.
