Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa dashed the dreams of those hoping the DigiTimes report suggesting production would begin on a new Switch model at the end of the first-quarter of 2020, with release planned for mid-2020. The president stated, “Please note that we have no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model during 2020.”
Furukawa also revealed more of the system’s sales numbers during Black Friday week during the Nine Months Financial Results Briefing. We previously reported that the Nintendo Switch was one of the top selling items during Black Friday 2019, with these numbers now confirmed as 800,000 units sold in the US market during that week and 600,000 units in Europe.
This news came just a day after it was revealed that Nintendo Switch hardware had surpassed 52.48 million units worldwide as of December 31, 2019. All of the figures include the original Nintendo Switch model, the improved battery life version, and the Nintendo Switch Lite. Furukawa still feels there is work to do on the Lite model however, with the company not yet fully communicating the system’s special features and appeal.
Despite no new Switch model on the horizon, Nintendo Switch sales are likely to continue their impressive streak this March after the announcement of the Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing: New Horizons Edition console. The system will launch in the US market on March 13, 2020, and both Europe and Japan a week later. It comes with a themed dock featuring Tom Nook and Nooklings Timmy and Tommy, plus pastel-colored Joy-Con, and Switch console. The system will come with a download code for Animal Crossing: New Horizons in Europe and Japan.
