The Switch has sold incredibly well since launch, and Nintendo is confident that interest in the system isn’t going to diminish any time soon. The company is predicting that nineteen million more consoles will be sold by the end of the current fiscal year.
The Nintendo Switch was released in 2017 to cautious optimism. The idea of a hybrid console/handheld system was exciting, but many fans had issues with the system’s battery life, limited internal storage, and a first-year schedule that seemingly relied on a few killer first-party exclusives. The Switch shattered everyone’s expectations and it captured the imagination of fans around the world. The system attracted third-party/indie developers from around the world and the eShop soon became packed with quality titles, as the handheld nature of the Switch meant that many fans preferred to buy games on it, rather than on systems that required a TV or monitor. The Switch has gone on to outsell many classic Nintendo systems, including the GameCube, Nintendo 64, and Super Nintendo. The Switch has also outsold the Xbox One.
Nintendo’s latest financial report has revealed that the Switch has sold 55.77 million units since launch. It seems that Nintendo isn’t going to be resting on its laurels any time soon, as the company is forecasting 19 million more units sold by the end of the upcoming fiscal year.
Fiscal years are determined differently from calendar years. Nintendo’s current forecast is running from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. These projections are actually a step-down, as the Switch sold over twenty million units during the previous fiscal year.
We know that Nintendo has a few highly-anticipated games in development, such as Metroid Prime 4 and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There are also some exclusive third-party games that have been in development for an ice age and have to be released at some point, including Bayonetta 3 and Shin Megami Tensei V.
2020 might be looking like a write-off (including for other non-Nintendo reasons,) but the future is looking bright for the Switch. Nintendo could be under-selling the Switch’s upcoming performance with its figures, assuming that it can get some of those highly-anticipated games out of the door any time soon.
Source: Nintendo
