More than 11 studios apparently have Switch 4K dev kits, but Nintendo denies it
Nintendo has made a rare statement outright denying a new report that suggests developers are making games for a console that never launched.
Nintendo has made a rare statement responding to a report that implies that a multitude of game companies at various developers around the world have recevied dev kits for a 4K Switch model that has not yet been released (which is different from the upcoming Switch OLED).
A new Bloomberg report states that anonymous employees at 11 different game companies have all disclosed that they have a 4K Switch development kit.
In response to the article, Nintendo tweeted a statement from its NintendoCoLtd account, categorically denying the claims. The Japanese publisher and platform holder asserts that Bloomberg “falsely claims that Nintendo is supplying tools to drive game development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support” and says, outright, that it's “not true.”
“We also want to restate that, as we announced in July, we have no plans for any new model other than Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, which will launch on October 8, 2021,” a follow-up tweet added.
Bloomberg, in response to the statement, has merely updated its article with a reference to Nintendo's reply.
It's a peculiar stand-off; we don't often see companies make this kind of public statements in reference to individual reports. There are also conflicting messages from the sources Bloomberg spoke to – an anonymous employee at Zynga (who has never made a console game before) told the reporters that the team had a 4K dev unit, before Zynga spokeswoman Sarah Ross denied the claims once the article was published.
We've been hearing rumours about a 4K Switch for some time now: initial reports about the rumoured unit began circulating in 2018, and then back in May, we saw a new report that suggested the next Nintendo Switch model will begin production in July 2021, with a retail release in September.
According to Bloomberg, the Switch 4K could launch late in 2022 at the earliest.
Nintendo has repeatedly denied rumours about a 4K Switch, and recently noted that it's 'always looking at new tech', whilst downplaying Switch Pro rumours.