Nintendo has released its latest financials showing strong sales in both hardware and software.
The chief figure that stands out is that total Switch hardware sales are up 12.7%, meaning that worldwide unit sales now stand at 34.74 million with the company selling 1,900,000 more consoles in the 2018-19 financial year compared to its launch year.
Nintendo forecasts a further increase in the coming year projecting another 18 million sales of the hybrid console. With big names like Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion 3 and Pokémon Sword and Shield all still scheduled for 2019, the company must be confident that it can maintain the same sales pace it's achieved until now.
Elsewhere, 3DS hardware sales showed a dramatic and predictable slowdown going from 6.4 million units in 2017-18 to just 2.55 million this year. The life-to-date figure is still a healthy 75.08 million units, but with only 1 million consoles forecast to sell in the coming year, it looks like the trusty 3DS is finally heading for retirement.
3DS software dropped off, too, although with a not-insignificant 13.2 million combined sales, we doubt Nintendo will be delisting the console from its online portals just yet.
Over 34 million Switch consoles sold in just 24 months is sterling work and shareholders are sure to be relieved after the lean Wii U years. You can check out the figures yourself on Nintendo's website.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 52
Nice, hopefully this piece of equipment will outsell the PS4 sometime in the near future!
Fantastic news
Amazing news! Looks like they just barely missed that ambitious 20 million target which is such an incredible result.
@Patrick-Sukiyaki Probably not in the near future, but definitely in its lifetime if the rumours on cheaper version and New Switch (not calling it Pro) happen to be true.
This paired with additional (confirmed) titles coming from Nintendo will probably see a strong 2019 for the Switch. Coming from Nintendo only in 2019.
... and some of the third parties that are coming are no slouch either, especially the westward bound Dragon Quest XI and hopefully today announced Persona 5 S will probably also nudge some people into getting a Switch, or keep owners happy.
@Patrick-Sukiyaki Why ? what difference does it make ?
Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and Luigi's Mansion are just some of the major first party releases that have been confirmed too.
Let's see what gets announced at E3 too!
That's actually phenomenal, I'm guessing we'll see a whole heap of 3rd party announcements at e3, because those sales make the Switch a big enough platform to justify individual development teams for switch specific versions of big multi-plat games.
Kinda underwhelming numbers given how strong Switch sell-through during Q1 2019 was. In fact, Q1 2019 shipments actually decreased year-over-year even though Q1 2019 sell-through increased year-over-year.
Nevertheless, shipping 17 million units during the 2nd full fiscal year is still very good, just not spectacular.
The major releases this year don't really interest me a lot, but with upcoming (physical) releases of Hollow Knight, Bloodstained and Dragon Quest, along with some titles I'm still missing, I too am quite happy with my Switch.
Nintendo's new hardware and software shipment forecasts (18 million and 125 million respectively) are quite conservative; Nintendo is basically expecting single-digit sales growth over 2018.
I can see Nintendo exceeding both of their new forecasts quite easily, especially on the software front (they underestimated Switch software sales in 2017 and 2018, so underestimating software sales yet again in 2019 is par for the course)
After witnessing their stock take a massive beating throughout 2018 over doubts regarding the old 20 million unit shipment forecast, I can see why Nintendo wants to easily exceed a lower forecast rather than miss a high one.
@westman98 Had probably to do with everyone that wanted a Switch got it for Christmas in tandem with Let's Go, or probably SMASH. With Q1 rather dry on the side of Nintendo or third party killer releases on the Switch this was probably an accounted for dip.
@Heavyarms55 @Lemmy_the_Koopa 2019's game lineup is relentless. My body is ready, but my wallet is not.
@NoxAeturnus ... and I guess they still have a few surprises up their sleeves when it comes to E³.
@617Sqn He’s a blind fanboy.
I don’t like the tagline btw. The Switch is not a handheld, it’s a hybrid console. I thought we put an end to that discussion 2 years ago.
Will it overtake the Xbox One this year? The difference is 8-9 million I think. Weekly sales of PS4 have been nearly as much as Switch this year so it cant really get close worldwide until the PS4 is discontinued.
@Yasume I think some people like to sound smart by referring to it as a handheld. It's pretty bad for a news site, though.
this all sounds good but the share price will get hit hard
@Lemmy_the_Koopa Oh no doubt. Can't wait to see what else is in the works.
Nintendo used Overwhelming Game Releases, it's super effective!
Wallet: FAINTS
Me: It's ok little buddy, it's not your fault.
@Lemmy_the_Koopa
Q1 2019 sell-through was much higher than Q1 2018 sell-through.
Nintendo is either clearing through unsold inventory, reducing shipments in preparation for a new Switch model, or both of the above.
It's still not a handheld. Even if many people still trying to classify the Switch as a handheld only (for whatever reason), it's still a hybrid console, which means it's a handheld and a homeconsole equally.
@westman98 Oh, than I might have read your comment wrong... err...
So 18 million last fiscal year, not bad at all!!
It is weird to me they project the same numbers for this FY, if the switch sold so much on 2019 q1 with only the existing library to push it (no new exclusives or high tier new releases on the switch while the competition got quite a lot of big names games)
The switch is gonna explode in the summer, in a very big way thanks to huge exclusives that will come one after another.... and well.... Pokémon and Animal Crossing....
Not too worried about the end of the 3DS. I got mine late, and I never owned a DS, so I have about ten years of DS and 3DS games to catch up on!
The Switch is a handheld/portable console. Call it a hybrid if it pets your brain, but the dock is nothing more than a dock for a handheld, much in the same way that a TV Dock for an iPad doesn’t make the iPad NOT a portable device
@NinChocolate The Switch isn't very portable while docked. So I guess you are claiming the dock isn't part of the Switch? Hmm. Interesting. I remember it being in the box when I bought it. I must be mistaken.
@NinChocolate it is a handheld but it is also a regular home console. You can call it a hybrid or you can call it both. The dock is an integral part of it and its vision and its whole control scheme and games are also designed with that it mind ... Since the hybrid nature of it is a core part of the philosophy of the whole console (unlike an iPad) I agree that calling it just a handheld (without more) is inaccurate.
@NinChocolate it's been discussed a hundred times before. Handhelds don't come with modular (and easily replaceable) controller units, kickstands for tabletop play, single screen local multiplayer functionality or cooling systems. Just like home consoles don't come in compact size with a built-in screen and, again, modular controllers you can clip onto the thing and toss into your shoulder bag altogether. A hybrid is a hybrid.
@NinChocolate
So much nonsense in one short post... 😐
@Lemmy_the_Koopa
I can see a smaller, more portable Switch launching close to Animal crossing as that would be the target demographic.
@westman98
Actually the numbers are really good considering the industry is down as a whole.
To catch up with PS4, PS2, Wii, and DS, the Switch needs to up its game to upwards of 25 million units a year.
Now, one might argue that this is unrealistic, but the Wii did it two years in a row, and DS did it for three.
Is it feasible for the planet to manufacture this many electronic toys for people to waste their time with? Who knows. At least the Switch with JoyCon attached still weighs less than 1/10th of an Xbox One S.
@dumedum they sell the Switch without a dock in Japan. So it’s purely a handheld vision somewhere!
@Nintendo Life: the actual sales figure is 34,74 (not 34,47). In fact it's 17,79 from same period last year, plus 16,95 this FY.
Which is a bit disappointing, they had a worse 4th quarter with 2,46 millions units sold vs. 2,9 last year. Japan sales were misleading with 44% up in Q4 alone
@roboshort Yeah, using it in handheld mode is most likely the author of this article preferable way of playing. He’s probably completely blind to the fact that the majority of Switch owners doesn’t even use it as a handheld.
@nhSnork “home consoles don't come in compact size with a built-in screen” The PSone did!
“Handhelds don't come with modular (and easily replaceable) controller units, kickstands for tabletop play, single screen local multiplayer functionality” The Nintendo Micro Vs System was exactly a portable tabletop single screen multiplayer unit with modular controllers that came out of it!
There are other examples in gaming hardware’s history that tell us the definition of home console and handheld console isn’t as narrow as you’re suggesting.
If I recall correctly, Nintendo shot for 20 million last year with virtually nothing until late in the year (Smash, Let's Go, Mario Party). They got pretty close, closer than a lot of us were expecting. If their target is 18 million this year, with system sellers like Animal Crossing and a new gen of Pokemon (plus all the summer releases coming), I think they can crush that target.
@MrBlacky as for the short post: you’re welcome 😇
@GrailUK when I’m on the bus with my Switch, I’m on the bus with the Switch: all the games, all the buttons, all the polygons. To correct a fellow passenger by telling them it’s not a handheld would simply be an act of taking an idea and being irritating about it. Sure, you can say what more it does, but it’s OK to call it a handheld.
@NinChocolate Yeah you're right. To be honest, I don't mind what folk call the Switch. It's so versatile. Life is too short to be that pedantic. I would hate to be sat next to that person on a bus lol
@NinChocolate I think I'm mostly with you on this one. I don't see an issue with describing the Switch as a handheld, especially to the layman.
The Switch IS a handheld. It's also a home console. Calling it either/or really shouldn't bother anyone. It can be whatever the user wants, that's the magic!
@NinChocolate that PS One variant was literally called "combo pack" with the screen powered separately, but it's not a bad example otherwise - assuming it also worked with TVs, of course (which it logically should, but no modern footage of it ever bothers to test that... and I can't blame them 😆). NVSMS, though, can only qualify as Nintendo's tabletop pioneer - from what I've seen, there's no [comfortable] way to play them handheld. What's more, like its G&W cousins, each unit was a one-game system, not a console in the traditional sense.
There are many examples of gaming hardware attempting to bridge the gaps, but Switch simply erases them, conceived to be what it's needed to be at a given moment and packing in not select but all the features of different "realms" I've listed.
@Moon there's just a difference between the layman end user and a fan blog positioning itself as a publicistic/news entity. And even I call Switch a hybrid even despite barely ever using it in any mode but handheld.
@617Sqn The only good thing that might come of that would be we'll get even more games put on Switch. But that's more due to the numbers sold than passing that specific milestone.
@SuperCharlie78 12,7% up per FY - which goes from April to March - is correct. 3/2017 was still the last month for the 2016-2017 period. See the chart @ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/number.html
I do indeed plan to grab one of those projected 18 million units this year.
So how far is this off the estimate they lowered?
@lmello hmmm I don't understand. In this very article's title is said the Switch has shipped 34,47 millions units as of march 31th 2019, which is incorrect because it's 34,74.
@SuperCharlie78 Your correction on total hardware sales is right, but the first whole FY was 15,05m not 17,79m so 16,95m represents a 12,7% increase over the same period. 17,79m equals the first whole FY plus March 2017.
@lmello Ah, ok. I know, I just pointed out that it was 17,79 as of march 2018. But I expressed it poorly, sorry.
@NinChocolate sounds more like a cost saving thing. Go back to their R&D and see what vision it was.
Honestly everyone is right...
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