Nintendo re-iterates that 3DS sales are 'lower' but plans still 'stable' in 2019

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It begins

Hello darkness my old friend!

I can’t stop coming back to the 3DS. Ever since I unwrapped my first Game Boy I’ve been a portable person (in addition to a PC and console person), and I can’t shake them. The 3DS is one of my most played systems in the past decade, and I have hundreds of games for it: I don’t really want to let it go. Nintendo might be ready to though, as they continue to hint at scaled down efforts as recently as this week in a new Q&A session.

Current Nintendo presidentShuntaro Furukawa, when responding to the observation that the 3DS has been “scaled back,” responds: “Our plans for Nintendo 3DS sales this fiscal year are lower compared to the previous fiscal year, but the demand for Nintendo 3DS is stable and I expect steady sales as we continue to position it as an entry-level game system, differentiated from Nintendo Switch. As for the Nintendo Switch, the lineup of software planned for release this year includes titles for series that in the past were developed for our handheld game systems. Since the Nintendo Switch can be played in handheld mode, these titles will potentially give consumers who previously played games on handheld systems to purchase a Nintendo Switch.”

Furukawa has used the “entry level” line before to justify the 3DS, but now he’s laying it on thick, noting that many previously “3DS exclusive” series are now just heading to Switch instead. It’s only a matter of time! I’m dreading the eulogy already.

Q&A [Nintendo]