Nintendo Co. will announce the successor to the hugely popular Switch game console by the end of March next year, its president said Tuesday.

President Shuntaro Furukawa's remarks at a press conference came amid speculation that the Japanese gaming company has been working on new hardware in response to slowing sales of the console, which first came out in 2017.

The Kyoto-based company has sold approximately 141 million Switch consoles as of the end of March, with software sales reaching around 1.2 billion copies, including hit series such as "The Legend of Zelda" and "Pokemon," according to its website.

Switch, which can function as both a portable device and stationary hardware connectable to a TV, became hugely popular among gamers worldwide, making it one of the firm's best-selling consoles.

But sales of the console have been declining as its appeal has waned over time. The company said Tuesday its sales in the year ended March fell 12.6 percent from a year earlier to 15.7 million units.

At the press conference, Furukawa said the company's business will continue to revolve around Switch in the current fiscal year ending March next year but declined to provide details for the successor console.

==Kyodo

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