Nintendo Plans 'Smooth Transition' from Switch to Next Console by Using Players' Nintendo Accounts

Nintendo plans to give Switch players a "smooth transition" to its next console using Nintendo Accounts.

Speaking during an investors Q&A session, translated by Genki on Twitter (below), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa indicated that Nintendo Accounts would be a staple for users going forward.

"As for the transition from Nintendo Switch to the next generation machine, we want to do as much as possible in order to smoothly transition our customers while utilising the Nintendo Account," he said.

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa says they plan to make a smooth transition for customers from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation console by using the Nintendo Account!

- There are currently 290 million Nintendo Accounts across console & mobile.https://t.co/Y9O8vmeySz pic.twitter.com/OrIYQ1K5XU

— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) June 27, 2023

Nintendo isn't historically known for a strong or consistent online infrastructure as Nintendo Accounts were only introduced with the Switch. The Wii U and 3DS both utilised a Nintendo Network ID, and while these can be connected to the modern service, the transition was considered far from smooth by many.

Furukawa said there are now more than 290 million Nintendo Accounts in use across console and mobile, however, seemingly giving the company a strong foundation to build its next generation infrastructure on.

This will therefore be a move similar to what Sony and Microsoft have been doing for years, with users' PlayStation Network and Xbox Live accounts now having transitioned between three generations of hardware.

Chatter around a next generation Nintendo console has been slowly increasing recently, with Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot saying earlier in June he regretted releasing Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope on the Switch, instead wishing he'd waited for the console's successor.

Nintendo maintains the Switch is good for another year at least, however, saying in May a Switch successor won't be released until April 2024 at the earliest. This comes despite a decline in Switch sales. The console sold close to 18 million units in the last financial year, down from 23 million sold the year before and 28 million the year before that.

Rumours surrounding a new console have been circulating for years, with even analysts unsure if Nintendo was planning to release the Switch 2 (for lack of a better name) as early as 2021. The new console was said to offer boosted graphics akin to the PlayStation 4 and its Pro model, but there is no official information regarding the next piece of Nintendo hardware yet.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.