Manga Drone

Launching in 2017, the Nintendo Switch has proven to be a huge success for its creators in the five years it has been available. In that time, two new versions of the Switch have been given to fans in the form of the Switch Lite and Switch OLED, with each iteration offering something new to gamers. In terms of popularity, the Switch has hit tremendous highs and currently sits among the top five best-selling video game consoles of all time, reaching an impressive sales figure of 111 million units sold as per a Nintendo financial report.

However, that same report also acknowledged that Switch sales have hit a bit of a dip recently. Compared to the first quarter of the 2021 fiscal year, March to June 2022 has seen a decline of Switch hardware sales by 22%. According to Nintendo, this problem is a temporary one as the manufacturing of Switch consoles has been momentarily obstructed due to a semiconductor shortage. The company still plans to reach its targeted Switch sales goals, but this may come at the cost of no new hardware coming this year.

According to a recent report by Nikkei, Nintendo currently has no plans to manufacture new Switch models. This is primarily due to the aforementioned component shortage, with the company concentrating entirely on building enough Nintendo Switch units to meet its sales goals for FY22. The company is currently aiming to have shipped 21 million units by the beginning of the new financial year, but it will not be producing any new hardware until it can procure more components.

This essentially debunks recent rumors of Nintendo planning the release of a Switch Pro console. Also, it seems unlikely that the gaming giant will be focusing on the successor of the Switch for the time being. Even with the release of the Nintendo Switch OLED, which gives games upgraded visuals, rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 or Switch Pro are still swirling around the internet and will continue to do so even as this report appears to confirm a lack of new hardware.

Alongside confirming that there won't be any new Switch consoles on the way, this news could also indicate that special edition hardware could be out of the question as well. For big Switch releases, such as Super Smash Bros. or Pokemon Sword and Shield, there will often be a special Switch console to go with it. Splatoon 3 got its own OLED Switch, for example. However, knowing now that the company has no new hardware planned, this could mean that big titles like Bayonetta 3 and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will be without special edition Switches as well.