Just as the latest wave of rumors about the Switch successor started losing steam, one Nintendo subsidiary specializing inPokemonreignited speculation that the development of the next Nintendo console is already well underway. Namely, long-timePokemondeveloper Creatures Inc. name-dropped “next-generation hardware” in a new Japanese job listing published earlier this week.
Between the 2019 release of the Switch Lite and the 2021 debut of the Switch OLED model, Nintendo has been widely rumored to also be working on a high-end revision of its popular hybrid console, tentatively called the Switch Pro. And while theSwitch Pro rumors haven’t completely gone awayover the course of the last year, they did change after Nintendo kept insisting it’s not planning on releasing another console for the foreseeable future.
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Now, however, a new listing for a 3D character modeler fromPokemondeveloper Creatures Inc. mentioned “research and development with respect to next-generation hardware” as part of the advertised job description. While the ad didn’t go into any more details, Creatures Inc. is definitely on the list of studios that would have insider knowledge of Nintendo’s ongoing hardware development efforts. Founded in 1989 as Ape Inc., the studio is credited as a character model developer of nearly every 21st-centuryPokemongame, from mainline entries likePokemon Sword and Shieldto spinoffs such asDetective PikachuandPokemon GO. It also independently developed manyPokemon ColosseumandPokemon Rangertitles.
Whether the next-generation hardware mentioned in the listing refers to a full-fledged successor or a high-end Switch revision in the vein of the previously rumored Switch Pro, this development is yet another indication that Nintendo is already looking beyond its current console lineup. For added context, the company is just months away fromretiring both the Wii U and 3DS, and will only be supporting the Switch ecosystem starting next March.
While that could imply that a Switch 2 announcement is coming in the near future, Nintendo’s established track record suggests the company might not stop with just three Switch revisions. Another argument in favor of the Switch Pro releasing prior to an actual next-generation console is the fact that theglobal chip shortage prompted by the COVID-19 pandemicstill hasn’t fully ended and continues to place a significant strain on consumer electronics supply chains the world over.
Based on this year’sNvidia leak referencing a Switch 2 graphics API, the next Nintendo console is widely expected to once again feature an Nvidia-made system-on-chip. And given the massive success of the Switch, it’s likely that Nintendo will continue pursuing hybrid devices supporting both TV and handheld play for the foreseeable future.
