by The Japanese gaming giant is expected to launch a sequel to its wildly popular console next year.
Nintendo has announced that games for the Switch will be playable on its next gaming console.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said on Wednesday that the company had decided it would be “optimal” to include backwards compatibility in the Switch’s successor, given its enormous popularity.
“Customers can enjoy the games they own and choose their next title from the range of games already on the market,” Furukawa told a management policy briefing.
Shares of Nintendo, which have been on the rise over the past year, rose 5.8 percent on Wednesday.
Furukawa said the company is investing in films, merchandising, theme parks and music in addition to its core hardware and software businesses.
The Japanese gaming giant plans to release a sequel to The Super Mario Bros Movie in 2026, which grossed more than $1.3 billion at the box office worldwide.
Nintendo’s latest update on the Switch’s replacement came a day after the company cut its annual sales forecast by 7 percent to 12.5 million units, following a 60 percent drop in net profit in the first half of the year .
Sales of the Switch, which has become one of the best-selling consoles of all time since its launch in 2017, fell 31 percent in the April-September period as gaming fans continued to wait for news of an expected follow-up model next year.
Playable with a TV or in handheld mode, the Switch saw a huge rise in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping Nintendo reap huge profits.
