A new report continues to lend credence to the ongoing rumors of a beefed-up Nintendo Switch model, as Bloomberg says Switch sales may benefit for the fiscal year ending March 2022 thanks to the launch of a new version of the Switch with an OLED screen. The site reported this information based on what it's heard from executives at component suppliers, game publishers, and retailers. [Update: Sure enough, Nintendo has announced a new Switch OLED model releasing later in 2021.]
Overall, Switch console sales should be "flat or slightly higher" for the upcoming fiscal year, the report said.
Game sales, however, should surge in the coming year. The report said Nintendo may be able to sell 250 million games in the upcoming fiscal year, up sharply from the 205 million that are forecast for the current fiscal year that is scheduled to end later this month. The report said "a series of marquee game releases" will help improve game sales, though none were named outright.
Nintendo has a number of high-profile games coming to the Switch in the future, including the recently announced open-world Pokemon game, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, as well as Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, and a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. These are just the games that have been announced so far; more high-profile first-party titles are expected to be in the works.
As for the new Switch model, Bloomberg said it's due to release in the second half of 2021. It may feature a larger, better screen and "upgraded graphics" for when it's plugged into the TV.
The Switch is riding high right now, as it just outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S yet again to claim the top-seller spot in the US for February 2021. Nintendo has sold 79.87 million Switch systems as of December 31, putting the console on a pace ahead of the PS2 and the Wii.