As of January 31, 2024, Nintendo has still yet to announce its next game console. We expect to learn more in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, all we have to go on are some rumors and leaks. Of course, there are people in the industry who have some knowledge about the Switch 2, but they’re not going to give up any of Nintendo’s secrets.
To that point, EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked about Nintendo’s Switch follow-up in a call with investors this week and delivered a tactful answer (via Eurogamer).
First, Wilson said he would “absolutely not comment on anything that has not been announced or acknowledge it in any way.” He’s been in the industry for decades, so it’s no surprise that he knows how to avoid answering questions he shouldn’t be answering.
But he did speak more generally about upcoming consoles, and about how excited EA is to see “new platforms” and what they have to offer.
“What I would say to the extent that platforms over the course of the last 20 years have come out and offered improved CPU, GPU, memory, battery life, screen resolution… where we’re able to deliver more immersion for our players, particularly around our biggest franchises like FC, like Madden, like Battlefield, like Apex [Legends] that has typically been very good for our business,” Wilson explained. “Our players’ ability to really experience our games at the highest level has typically worked out very well for us.”
“And so without commenting at all on anything around Nintendo or the Switch, I would just say new platforms are good for us, where new platforms offer improved CPU, GPU, memory, battery life, screen resolution,” Wilson added, “that typically is a plus for our particular portfolio of games and the community that plays them.”
It’s a safe bet that the Switch 2 will be more powerful than its predecessor, but the real question is how capable it will be relative to the PS5 and Xbox Series X. No one expects the Switch 2 to outpace the latest consoles from Sony or Microsoft, but if it can be about as powerful as the PS4 or Xbox One, publishers like EA will have an easier time bringing their multiplatform titles to Nintendo’s platform. That would be a win for everyone involved.
