Shuntaro Furukawa, the newly appointed Nintendo President, hinted that the company might be looking into a true 3DS successor during an interview with Japanese newspaper Kyoto Shimbun.
Furukawa stated that even though the Nintendo 3DS is already 7 years old, it has certain advantages over the Switch and that they are considering various possibilities in regards to a successor. This statement does not directly confirm that a new handheld is on the way but it is interesting to note that Nintendo provided a similar response last year. The then President Tatsumi Kimishima responded that the Switch and 3DS can co-exist when asked about a next-gen handheld. General Manager of EPD Shinya Takahashi also explained that Nintendo is always thinking about its next game device instead of directly confirming or denying its existence.
Nintendo Switch sales is going along steadily and Furukawa noted that it is their dream for every person to own one. To help realize this goal, they will continue to offer new and enticing games for the growing player base. Nintendo products are currently sold in around 60 countries and regions but the company wishes to expand more into India and Southeast Asia as well. While we do have the Singapore-based company Maxsoft as the official distributor of Nintendo products in our territory, they only possess limited control over warranty, official events, and account support. On a related note, The Pokemon Company opened up its official Philippine portal last December although the website currently focuses more on licensed merchandise instead of events (official VGC tournaments or Pokemon distributions).
Furukawa also revealed that the mobile platform is Nintendo's third pillar next to the Switch and the 3DS, even though it only currently contributes to about 4% of their total sales. They are also exploring other collaborations with other companies to strengthen their presence in this platform.
According to Furukawa, Nintendo's business model of developing both hardware and software isn't likely to change in the future. He acknowledges the importance of developing new and interesting products as the key in preventing the console from becoming obsolete.
Would you like to see a true successor to the 3DS with backwards compatibility or would you prefer that they focus their research and development on the Switch and the mobile market instead? Are you also excited about their plans for Southeast Asia and possibly, the Philippines?
Source: Kyoto Shimbun via Nintendosoup
