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Nintendo talks "critical" second year for its Switch and looking beyond a six-year lifecycle

Also discusses China, Super Mario movie, and Switch Online

Nintendo talks "critical" second year for its Switch and looking beyond a six-year lifecycle

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has suggested that the company is looking to extend the lifecycle of its Switch console beyond the typical five-to-six years.

Speaking at a Q&A sessions following the company's recent financials, Miyamoto said that "up until now, the hardware lifecycle has trended at around five or six years, but it would be very interesting if we could prolong that lifecycle, and I think you should be looking forward to that."

Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima stated that year two of the console's life will be "critical" in terms of how the business progresses. He added that the company will focus on developing new games and experiences for the console to draw in new fans.

As for its mobile games and China, Kimishima remained tight-lipped on plans for the future. While Nintendo is continuing to investigate the region, and it is aware that working with local carriers is the best way forward, Kimishima simply stated that "there is nothing I can say on this topic."

Online and animated

The company also teased announcement regarding its Nintendo Switch Online package coming in the future. Kimishima noted that the service will focus less on the mechanics, and more on what products Nintendo can offer.

Regarding the planned Super Mario animated movie, Miyamoto claimed that work on the screenplay was progressing well. He did note that unless he feels that the movie is interesting "we'll just call it quits."

Nintendo has almost sold 15 million units of its Switch console in its first year of sale. It has also recently announced its fifth mobile game, Mario Kart Tour.


Editor

Ric is the Editor of PocketGamer.biz, having started out as a Staff Writer on the site back in 2015. He received an honourable mention in both the MCV and Develop 30 Under 30 lists in 2016 and refuses to let anyone forget about it.