Nintendo’s CEO says its online accounts are the key to its next console transition

Question:

Wii U was launched around six years after Wii, and Super Famicom was launched around seven years after Famicom. Nintendo Switch has entered its seventh year, and I gather it has come to its final phase, so can you tell us about any specific measures for transitioning to the next generation game system? 

Answer:

Regarding the transition to the next-generation platform, in the past, hardware was the only way for us to connect with our consumers, and so with each new platform, we needed to rebuild our relationships. But in the case of Nintendo Switch, we can directly connect with a wide range of consumers via Nintendo Accounts. More than 290 million Nintendo Accounts have been created by people around the world, not only via our dedicated video game platform but also via mobile apps. Regarding the move from Nintendo Switch to the next-generation platform, we will make good use of Nintendo Account to make this a smooth transition for our consumers.