The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are both due for release in late 2020 and, despite not having its own new console lined up, Nintendo isn't worried about a bit of competition - in fact, it doesn't think there will be much direct competition to its consoles at all.
Speaking in a Japanese Q&A (opens in new tab) (via VGC (opens in new tab)), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told investors that, while the gaming landscape will certainly change, the company doesn't think the release of these next-gen consoles will have a big impact on business.
"We will explain the specific figures for the next fiscal year in our next fiscal year announcement, but I think there will certainly be a change in the environment as new products of our competitors appear,” Furukawa told investors.
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Why so confident?
Furukawa explained that the reason Nintendo is so confident that the PS5 and Xbox Series X won't pose huge competition, is because the Nintendo Switch targets a different audience than Sony and Microsoft's consoles.
“We do not believe that the business trends of other companies will have a significant impact on our business,” Furukawa continued.
And Nintendo seems to be right in its confidence. According to a recent GDC survey (opens in new tab), more game developers are currently creating their next project for the Switch than for Xbox Series X and more developers are intrigued by Switch than Series X - however, the Switch does struggle to hold a candle to PS5 interest.
For a while, we speculated that a Switch Pro was on the way in 2020, potentially going head-to-head with PS5 and Xbox Series X, but Nintendo has since debunked any rumors of a 2020 reveal which probably means the company can relax a bit when it comes to the next-gen console war. It's all on Sony and Microsoft now.
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