Nintendo has poured cold water over reports of it demonstrating the Nintendo Switch 2 to developers.
As reported by Eurogamer, company president Shuntaro Furukawa discussed the Nintendo Switch successor at a recent investor briefing. Specifically, he denied that there have been any developer briefings with Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, as well as demonstrations at large gaming events like Gamescom 2023.
Additionally, it had emerged that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick had been privy to details on the Nintendo Switch 2 as early as the end of last year; a detail that was revealed during the Microsoft vs. FTC court case regarding the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
In response, Furukawa spoke to Japanese newspaper Mainichi, saying: "Rumours are circulating mainly on the internet as if they were public information, but they are inaccurate."
Furukawa added that reports of Switch 2 hardware running an enhanced version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, behind closed doors at Gamescom 2023, are "untrue." As are reports of the console being shown to publishers ahead of time.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is largely expected to launch before the end of 2024. At that point, the original hardware will be over seven years old (what even is time?) which has been the approximate length of a console generation as far back as the PS3 and Xbox 360 days.
However, it's worth stressing that Nintendo has yet to provide an official reveal for the Nintendo Switch 2; there's been no concrete details in regards to its specifications, or whether it'll be an enhanced version of the existing hardware or a new console entirely. But with the PS5 Slim launching this month, it's clear that mid-gen refreshes and new hardware are likely on the horizon for the big three console manufacturers.
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