Recent tidbits of information had already given us the impression that Nintendo has had a successful week at retail - the new Pokémon games were reportedly the fourth most purchased item on Black Friday and the Switch was the best-selling console on Cyber Monday - but now we have further confirmation in the form of particularly impressive milestones reached by the company.
Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch became the best-selling console in US history for the five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, even surpassing sales of the ridiculously-popular Wii console which dominated the retail space around a decade ago. On top of that, the large number of sales also means that the Switch has just experienced its best ever week on sale in the US, too.
According to Nintendo’s internal sales figures, US shoppers spent more than $250 million on Nintendo products during the period, proving Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime's recent comments about the importance of the holiday season to be very true indeed. That figure accounts for sales of Switch, 3DS, the NES and SNES Classic editions, and games and accessories.
Interestingly, despite the Switch's second year seeming slightly less extravagant in terms of new games and exciting developments than its first, total hardware sales in the region saw an increase of 45% during the Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday period of 2018 compared to the same dates in 2017. We expect that Switch console sales have seen a significant bump over the last week, and it'll be particularly interesting to see updated unit sales in a couple of months' time; perhaps Nintendo could close in on its 20 million financial year target after all?
Did you, or someone you know, pick up any Nintendo-related goodies during the sales? Do you think this success will continue throughout the holiday period? Let us know with a comment.
Comments 67
More than the Wii? Well... did the Wii ever come out with a new Pokemon game before the Black Friday weekend?
@LoriLoud I guess Animal Crossing Wii came out a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving but I think these sales are more due to how much bigger Black Friday and now Cyber Monday have gotten since the Wii was selling out.
Cyber Monday is the naffest name ever
I didn't actually get any nintendo stuff this year, unfortunately the stuff I don't have and am interested in didn't really get discounted to pick up at this time. I was going to pick up dragon quest XI for switch, but it was just too cheap to ignore getting it on PS4 with it being slashed in half at 30 bucks. I figure even if we get DQXI anytime soon on switch it's not going to see that kind of discount forever maybe next black friday. That's the biggest issue with multiplatform they need to start releasing same day as other consoles or closer because I get way tempted by discounts on PS4 games which happen way more often. Still I do have smash next friday. At least there was a few e-shop discounts, but i didn't really get tempted by them either.
That is impressive.
WTG nintendo! BRING ON THE GAMES, you're on a roll! This is your chance to do it right and you've been delivering.....Whet our appetites with some Metroid Prime 4 footage, promote Daemon X Machina and Bayo 3! Build the hype even higher!
Pokémon sells, even if it's a watered down version.
@GravyThief It's like reliving the 90's every November. It's in Cyberspace!
@LoriLoud : Does My Pokémon Ranch count? XD
I imagine a lot of people are going to crap-talk today's earlier comments from extremely near-sighted analysts. And for good reason, I might add.
I'm going back a bit further, remember when pre-release Switch bashing was a thing?
Anybody got a switch it prints money gif?
Ok, this is amazing:
Nintendo has confirmed that the Switch became the best-selling console in US history for the five-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday
Analysts sham-alysts, am I right?
Unrelated, I need to stop being broke, lol. Had to choose between the XC:2 expansion and a bigger microSD card (I had rewards, so I wasn't going pay full price for the game). Oh well, try harder next year (and hope for no more digital shop closings/game delistings).
I find it funny that just a couple hours ago, there was an article saying Nintendo needed to make some changes in order to sell more Switches.
"On top of that, the large number of sales also means..."
Nintendo finally realized you can't sell what you don't stock so they made enough Switch and Switch bundles for the holidays. That's a big win right there. Not sarcasm. Switch might not have outsold the Wii if Nintendo had actually made all the Wii they needed, Wii was sold out for 2 full years after launch.
https://www.cio.com/article/2434123/supply-chain-management/nintendo-wii-shortage--shrewd-marketing-or-flawed-supply-chain-.html
@NEStalgia Cyberspace you say. How 'bout Cyberchase as the Cyber Monday theme song?
@Silly_G It's paid, so maybe XD
Luckily the Switch eShop Black Friday sale was still going on this morning in Canada (sale ends at 11:59am ET in case people are wondering) and I was able to pick up a digital copy of South Park: Stick of Truth for $19.99 (normally $39.99). I really enjoyed Fractured But Whole, which I also picked up during Walmart's E3 sale back in June so I'm excited to play the first game over the Christmas break!
What isn't to miss-most already knows this would happen. All those naysayers whom wanted the Nintendo to fade into the past failed to even support their own consoles market.
@Ryu_Niiyama
I didn't buy anything in stores during Black Friday (even though it seems to last for a week?), but I bought some of the discounted eShop games. Nintendo doesn't usually discount those games and combined with Gold Points it works out decently!
I'm wondering who is buying these consoles, I only know a few people with a Switch and I've never seen one "in the wild".
@XenoKidRex Those are fighting words. You’re gonna need to back that one up.
@AlexSora89 Brilliant. I love every sentence of it. My favorite: "I do not understand who the Switch is for." That perfectly sums up the elitist sub-section of the gaming market, and simultaneously why the Switch has been such a roaring success. They even pull quoted that particular line, which just makes it like a fine wine or cheese that grows more relevant (and hilarious) over time. Thanks for dragging that back up, I needed a good laugh today.
@Kimyonaakuma
I am wondering the same thing about the Switch. I can list 3 families in my area that has a Switch (mine included) and I gave never seen anyone else playing one in public.
However when I go to the local Walmart I will see a ton of Switches one week and then another week 4 or 5 missing from the shelf, and then the next week it will be restocked again and on and on.
Though to be fair my Switch gets played a lot and taken various places by our family but it is rarely played in a public setting.
@Kimyonaakuma @gokev13
Well, I had another 2 coworkers buy a Switch over the holidays, both got the Diablo edition. That's #7 and #8 just among people I know at my job.
"Nintendo has confirmed..."
Where?
I'm not doubting it, just would like to know the source?
@JaxonH
Cool, I wish I had more people I knew to play Switch with, but now that I think about it, I think schedules is what is getting in the way if that more than anything.
@XenoKidRex I wouldn't say that yet. Super Nintendo is still miles ahead.
Well that certainly answers my question of whether or not the Switch can maintain its second year momentum. Not to talk smack on any of the fantastic games of 2018, but Let's Go and Smash are the real heavy hitters, and clearly they were enough to keep afloat while we wait forthe flurry of 2019 releases.
Literally almost everything I’m getting for Christmas is a Nintendo product, so yeah, I did contribute to these numbers.
: )
@LoriLoud The Wii had New Super Mario Bros Wii which sold almost double most recent Pokemon games. Just before black Friday during the year the wii managed a still unbroken record of 3 million systems in a single month in the US.
The biggest Black Friday ever for the Wii was back in 2008, where it sold over 800,000 units during Black Friday week.
The Switch sold more than that.
Pretty insane numbers for the Switch. Like I have said, Nintendo's 20 million fiscal year Switch shipment goal doesn't look unreachable anymore...
@rjejr: I approve! I loved Cyberchase!
"It's THE Hacker to you!"
@Tyranexx Your Pikachu stocking stuffer avatar triggers me. It's a reminder that Best Buy stuffed Eevee in my stocking instead of the Pikachu I asked Santa for
Dear Santa Buy,
Since you got it wrong in English I'm revising my list:
ピカチュウ
Please do your best.
(P.S. RE: Eevee. I didn't ask for this.)
Sincerely,
Jensen.
(j/k I like the avatar )
@NoxAeturnus
Brenna Hillier is generally abrasive, but further articles - from what I've been able to piece together, at least - seem to suggest she's been a bit passive-aggressive about the console afterwards. She wrote an article about a youtuber streaming Breath Of The Wild, remarking "I don't know if you'll play it, but I won't" or something along those lines, while also implying she was already regretting her initial dismissal of the console, while yet another, later article for VG 24/7 finished with the words "I'll be eating my taco if I lose this bet, and it wouldn't be the first time this year", suggesting she did, somehow, admit she made a mistake, albeit not as openly as I wish for it to be the case.
I'm gonna look up the articles now, because the good laughs shouldn't end this quickly. If anyone's Google-Fu is stronger than mine, feel free to participate in this discussion!
[EDIT - here's what I've found on my own.]
The Breath Of The Wild article is right here, and the lovely lady behind it is basically already eating her words about the console, what with "containing our tears", "taking some deep breaths" (heh) and "it doesn't matter if the game is beautiful and out of reach".
The tear-tasting continues with the article lining up the perfect scores BoTW got, which is more subdued - but still released after the previous one, so there was really no point in faking composure by then.
Finally, the taco I was talking about was actually a nacho hat, apparently, with the sentence being "Well if that isn’t Outlast VR I’ll have to buy another nacho hat and eat it, making two such incidents in 12 months." - and the article came out in December 2017, back when the Switch's sales were already killing it thanks to its majesty Super Mario Odyssey.
I'm having trouble finding an official statement by Hillier on the matter - I wonder why - but the closest I can find to an official u-turn from having the gall to speak in everyone's name (when stating that "Candy Crush will do" in regards to portable gaming, back in the Switch-dissing article I linked to earlier) towards utter backside-kissery is when she called Nintendo "perfect angels" when they announced Bayonetta in December 2018.
@Kimyonaakuma I've seen people at my old school with swtiches, and I have seen a woman play with a switch in a social security office waiting area, interestingly enough. I guess you know you're console's a success if you got sassy black women buying your systems. I think the switch is too bulky to really carry around as a "portable" console.
Switch is awesome:)
Whoa! But I can’t say I’m too surprised, it’s a great console.
I should think that considerably more consoles have been available at retailers this year, so that might partly explain the bump.
It's not like people didn't want it last year, but many had to wait a month of two.
@gokev13 My local stores seem to be completely full or have no stock at all, but I don't know if they are selling lots or are lazy with restocks
I'm guessing that people are just using them more as a home console instead of a hybrid. It's an expensive thing for families to be taking out and about like people did with their 3DS...
So they sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 million?
Of course the Switch will continue to sell well,the masses just don't have the same concerns as the core hobby gamer.
All consoles need one important thing to become a success which is momentum,the Switch got out of the blocks fast and Nintendo did a great job with it's advertising.
Put this way for those other games to sell they had to make massive discounts while the Pokemon Go didn't even do that to make explosives sales.
@Jeremyjones12992 "I think the switch is too bulky to really carry around as a "portable" console."
Try doing that with xbox and ps4 pro.
@Kimyonaakuma "It's an expensive thing for families to be taking out and about like people did with their 3DS."
And you consider xbox and ps4 cheaper.
@johnvboy "the Switch got out of the blocks fast and Nintendo did a great job with it's advertising."
Called the road of hard knocks-someone learned and was rewarded in return.
@Tyranexx I liked that it was educational, watched it with my sons growing up. Also enjoyed the live action at the end. And let's face it, you can't go wrong with Gilbert Gottfried as a robot pigeon thing.
@SwitchForce People don't usually take their Xbox One or PS4 outside though do they?
@Kimyonaakuma
I agree, it is definitely more expensive and doesn't easily slip into a pocket. I guess I have had in public though, I've played it on a plane, and I've let my kids take it to a Dr. Office when I know it could be a long wait.
@Kimyonaakuma you missed the point.
@rjejr: You also can't go wrong with Christopher Lloyd voicing a certain big-chinned villain. The show was more aimed at the age group of my two younger siblings, but I got into it too on occasion. XD In my opinion, it's an educational show done right.
@NEStalgia: Heh, thanks! I understand being miffed about an order mess-up. Are you sure you didn't order from some obscure Best Buy branch in Russia?
@Kimyonaakuma @gokev13 @Kimyonaakuma I'm shocked that nobody sees Switches out in the wild. I travel for work all the time. I love to play mine in the airports and on the planes and I always see others playing plus I frequently have people who see me play and stop and ask me about what I'm playing.
@leo13 I've seen people playing at the library and fast food areas. It's not something they want to have lying around for some sticky fingers and most know this already.
@AlexSora89 How do people like that even have a job? The negativity and over-confidence that Switch was a conceptual disaster is painful to read. Such ignorance and cluelessness all round.
@leo13
Well don't be to shocked, I live in rural community and don't get out to much so I guess maybe I shouldn't be to surprised. No buses, no malls, etc. Though when I have traveled to cities or airports I didn't see any either. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
@AlexSora89 If Nintendo lower the price by 20% 30% I can clearly see this milestone being surpassed.
And there are countries that Nintendo don't support officially, (Brazil for exemple)when other countries start to manufacture the console and sell it inside their territories, this numbers will rise even more.
@Cloud-Strife consoles will always be produced in the same area. All Switches are made in China.
The power of Pokemon!
@Trajan I gave that exemple, because Sony and Microsoft produce our consoles here in Brazil to make the price more accessible. We live in a poor Country and by doing that, the prices dropped.
For example, my Ps4 was made here in Brazil.
@Cloud-Strife your drinking too much koolaid there. If xbox/ps4 wants to cut prices they would do so already and they don't have to make it there to make it less. Just like your example.
"For example, my Ps4 was made here in Brazil."
Why didn't they make it cheaper already but your are giving misleading comparison.
It was not my intention to be misleading, sorry.
What I was trying to say it: Right now the Nintendo Switch is not officially supported here in Brazil, the games are way expensive than it's competitors. ( this aplay to Brazil only)
Even in the BGS event, In the Nintendo presentation they where saying that if the Nintendo Switch where manufactured here in Brazil this could lead to more accessible prices.
But when Sony and Microsoft started making their consoles here, the price dropped here in Brazil, there where comications with the taxes, but this is another topic. ( Our politicians are rotten to the core.)
Sorry again if I sounded misleading, I was talking with my own experience from my own country. It was not my intention.
@Cloud-Strife. I can't find anything on google stating they are making them in country. That would be expensive to set up too. They are expensive due to your countries high tax on them. $1800 PS4? Damn dude.
@Trajan If I could send you a photo of my Ps4 box I would. But here they are manufactured by:MASA DA AMAZÔNIA LTDA.
And yes the high taxes are a mess here, not only technology, but everything. The politicians here are corrupt as hell, rotten to the core.
But anyway, I do hope Nintendo keeps this momentum in sales. This is bringing me back to the 90's where every developer where growing games at Nintendo.
I don't know if you like Beat'em ups, but a new Final Fight would be perfect as a switch title. Games like this would be amazing on the go.
I can think of hundreds of classic titles that would be a huge success on the switch.
I'm really optimistic for the future of this console.
@Trajan Sony Computer entertainment do Brasil Comércio e Serviços de Marketing Ltda.
Avenida Paulista, 1079 -°9 andar
São Paulo SP
CNPJ:19.115.969/0001-36
Fabricado por masa da Amazônia Ltda.
Av. Solimões,805, distrito industrial Manaus-Am
CNPJ:04.454.120/0004-63
Indústria Brasileira.
Here I got you all the information related to Sony's manufacturing related to Ps4 here in Brazil.
@ReaderRagfish @Tyranexx "You also can't go wrong with Christopher Lloyd voicing a certain big-chinned villain."
I assumed that went w/o saying.
Sells more than any other system in the same time period
Analyst: "Yea, bit it's going to hit 40 billion, not the project 42 billion. It's clearly struggling. Its future is shaky at best"
🙄
@Cloud-Strife
How about focusing on the goals the little handheld that could has reached so far?
@EVIL-C
Well, it was pre-launch hysteria. That, and the first comment to that perfectly summed up the situation - "gotta go against the stream for the sweet clicks". Unifying the home and portable markets was a genius move, but Nintendo is always a polarising subject in gaming journalism - if you bash Nintendo, you're sure to have a job in GameSpot or IGN; if you don't, you're obviously a Nintendo fanboy.
Of course, try checking my second-ish comment, and you'll see Brenna pretty much ate her words as soon as the Switch was out.
"I do not understand who the Switch is for." - Hillier, pre-Switch release, 2016
"join me in taking some deep, calming breaths and enjoying this video. It doesn’t matter that it is beautiful and just out of reach. Many things are. Do not allow serenity to be numbered among them" - Hillier, about BoTW streaming, 2017
@AlexSora89 I know. Sometimes I focus so much on the future that I let the present pass on.
But yeah, the switch is doing amazing and I hope this little guy keeps this great momentum.
@Cloud-Strife
Atta boy!
Tap here to load 67 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...