Nintendo Denies 4K Console Reports

Days before it releases its latest Switch, Nintendo is disavowing reports that it has another console in the works.

In a perplexing back-and-forth, Bloomberg reported Wednesday that at least 11 game developers, including Zynga, received a developer kit from Nintendo to build visually enhanced 4K games, citing confirmations from unnamed employees at each company.

Nintendo quickly denied the report.

Zynga followed suit, telling Kotaku that “none of the developer kits Zynga has or is in receipt of are 4K developer kits.”

• Nintendo will release the latest version of its Switch console, which includes an OLED screen, on Oct. 8.
• The company had sought to include 4K-enabled chips from Nvidia in its upcoming Switch, but those plans fell apart due to the global chip shortage.
• The company’s revenue dipped 9.9% year-over-year in the second quarter to $2.94 billion, with Switch sales down 21.7% to 4.45 million units.

The latest versions of the Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox have 4K capabilities. Nintendo’s rumored 4K-enabled console would be expected in late 2022. 

Bloomberg has stood by its reporting, noting that it is likely that many more companies have received 4K developer kits from Nintendo than the 11 they have confirmed.