The Nintendo Switch has been the best-selling console for five years running, setting a new record for consecutive years of console sales and cementing its place in gaming history. This March will mark the Switch's sixth birthday, and despite its age and rumors of a new console in the works, Nintendo has no plans to stop making more Switches.
In fact, it plans to make even more. Sources speaking to Bloomberg told the publication Nintendo has informed suppliers and assembly plants to increase production for the next financial year, which begins April 1, 2023. Nintendo said last year that it wasn't able to make as many Switches as it wanted due to the global chip shortage, but with those issues now resolved, the Japanese game maker plans to make up for lost sales in 2023.
Best of all, Nintendo has no plans to increase the price of the Switch despite rising manufacturing and transportation costs. "We currently do not have any plans to change the price of our hardware due to inflation or increased procurement costs in each country," said Nintendo president Suntaro Furukawa. The move was well-received by gamers following the PS5’s price hike.
Nintendo estimates sale for the Switch will once again top 20 million this year, and at six years and counting, the Switch will be Nintendo's longest-running generation of hardware. Switch sales are expected to spike with the coming release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the long-anticipated sequel to 2017's best game, Breath of the Wild.
However, Tears of the Kingdom might be the last significant game released on the Switch. According to two insiders, Nintendo doesn't have any big games lined up for the Switch following Tears of the Kingdom, so it might be a while before we see the return of Mario, Zelda, Samus, or Kirby. It'll be 2024 at the earliest for new Nintendo Hardware, according to Furukawa, so fans will need to be patient.