
It’s unusual for a large corporation to come out and categorically deny an entire report, but that’s exactly what Nintendo did today, issuing a press release claiming that Bloomberg’s alleged revelation that Nintendo was pressuring developers to create 4K-resolution games for an upcoming but possibly canceled “Switch Pro” handheld was completely false.
The article, according to Nintendo, “falsely states that Nintendo is giving tools to accelerate game development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K capability,” which is “not accurate.” Separately, it claims it has no plans for a new Nintendo Switch beyond the slightly improved OLED variant that will be available next week.
While it’s always possible that the language allows for the majority, if not all, of Bloomberg’s report to be correct — that there was a 4K Switch development kit, that Nintendo did push developers to create 4K content, and that Nintendo is no longer pushing that — Nintendo is attempting to say that the entire report is false.
Bloomberg looks to be sticking to its guns, which isn’t surprising. It comes from well-respected game/tech industry journalists who have previously been highly well-sourced, and this report is no exception: it quotes anonymous workers from 11 separate gaming firms who all claim to have a 4K Switch development kit. The newspaper just inserted another sentence referencing Nintendo’s denial after Nintendo’s tweet.
When compared to a Nintendo statement with even a smidgeon of wiggle space, I’d trust 11 sources over the business, especially when the latter is under investor pressure to have its new OLED handheld do well on launch day.