Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch on March 3, Nintendo has sold 2.74 million units—more than the two million it predicted it would ship by March 31. By April 2018 it hopes to have shifted a total of nearly 13 million units, which would almost match the Wii U's lifetime sales of 13.56 million over four years.
Sales of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on Switch hit 2.76 million, confirming earlier NPD reports that the game had a greater than 100 percent attach rate to hardware. A further 1.08 million copies of the game were sold on Wii U. While Nintendo didn't offer any sales data for should-have-been-a-pack-in party game 1-2-Switch, it did note the game "has been generating buzz." Total software sales for the Switch are 5.46 million units.
While it's still far too early to tell whether the Switch will fare better than its predecessor over the long term, the console is clearly off to a good start. The Switch remains a rare sight at retailers in the US, with eBay prices hitting $400, although it is easier to buy in the UK with Amazon showing the console in stock for next delivery. As a result of the Switch's success, Nintendo's profits for the year ending March 31 have risen 14 percent year-on-year to ¥102 billion (£11.5 million, $9.1 million), beating its initial forecast of ¥90 billion.
Surprisingly, the 3DS continues to sell well, with annual sales of 7.27 million units—a seven percent increase year-on-year. This was thanks in part to the success of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, which recorded sales of 15.44 million units, while Super Mario Maker sold 2.34 million units. Kirby: Planet Robobot also sold well hitting 1.36 million units. Overall, 3DS software sales reached 55.08 million units, a 14 percent increase year-on-year.
The now discontinued Wii U did contribute somewhat to Nintendo's bottom line, with software sales of 14.8 million units. That, however, is a 46 percent decrease year-on-year. Hardware sales fell 77 percent to 760,000 units for the year. Despite Nintendo's mobile push, the company didn't provide sales figures, but instead noted that Super Mario Run "elicited a fantastic response," while Fire Emblem Heroes, "is being enjoyed" by both long-time fans and newcomers.
As for the bafflingly discontinued Classic Mini NES? Nintendo didn't provide any update to sales—which hit 1.5 million units as of April 14—but instead noted that it had achieved "widespread popularity."
Listing image by Mark Walton
reader comments
13