MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Nintendo has again increased its sales forecast for the Switch.
The company had expected to sell 10m consoles in its current financial year. It now expects that number to be more like 14m. The console itself has now sold 7.6m units – that means that in six months it has sold half as many units as Wii U managed in its entire lifetime (13.6m), and could best its total in year one.
It has also sold 27.5m Switch game units. Zelda: Breath of the Wild remains the biggest hit (4.7m units) followed by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (4.42m) and Splatoon 2 (3.61m). 1-2 Switch (1.37m) and Arms (1.35m) are both million-copy sellers, too.
Last week’s release of Super Mario Odyssey, which bettered the week one performance of Breath of the Wild in the UK, should propel those numbers even further.
The company’s total sales climbed 173 per cent year-on-year in its last six months.
The company told Reuters that it’s again upping the number of Switch consoles being produced, with president Tatsumi Kimishima stating: "We’ve boosted Switch production in order to meet strong demand from our customers as it was difficult for customers to buy the consoles at retail stores.
“The true power of the Switch would be tested during the upcoming holiday season.”
The Switch seems to be easier to get hold of in the UK right now, although whether that will continue to be the case going into Christmas remains to be seen.
Nintendo did not specify any mobile game sales in its financial report, but does say that segment revenues are up over 426 per cent year-on-year, most likely thanks to Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run. The new Animal Crossing mobile title is due out next month.
