Nintendo will ‘continue 3DS support while there’s demand’

Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser says the company isn’t giving up on 3DS yet, despite failing to announce any new games for the platform at E3.

The firm expects to sell just one million 3DS units in the business year ending in March 2020, down from 2.55 million units in the previous year and 6.4 million units the year before that.

But in an interview with Time, Bowser said the 3DS business “continues to do quite well”.

He added: “Retailers continue to support both the hardware and the software. And as long as there’s consumer demand for 3DS, we’ll continue to support it.

“In fact, we believe it’s a great entry point for young gamers. A 2DS at $79 with a game included is a great value proposition for a young gamer coming into the Nintendo ecosystem.”

As sales of the eight-year-old 3DS continue to decline, Nintendo has discussed the possibility of attracting more handheld gamers to Nintendo Switch.

Company president Shuntaro Furukawa said during a recent financial results briefing: “As for Nintendo Switch, the line-up of software planned for release this year includes titles for series that in the past were developed for our handheld game systems.

“Since Nintendo Switch can be played in handheld mode, these titles will potentially give consumers who previously played games on handheld systems a reason to purchase Nintendo Switch.”

Pokémon Sword & Shield will be the first core entry in the RPG series to be released on a home console when it hits Switch on November 15.

While Nintendo has yet to officially announce any plans to update the Switch hardware, two new models, including a more portable version of the console targeted at a younger audience, have reportedly entered production.