The NPD data is emerging for January, giving us a good idea of the winners and losers in the US market at the start of the year.
For Nintendo it's a mixed set of results; to get the negative out of the way the Switch fell out of top spot in hardware sales. On the metrics of units sold and revenue the PlayStation 5 came out on top, with Xbox Series X|S in second. One factor may be that both companies were able to boost supply a little, and it also seems like Nintendo's impressive sales over the Holidays may have constrained supplies. The NPD Group's Mat Piscatella highlighted on social media that the hardware winner each month typically matches stock availability.
In terms of software there was good news for Nintendo however, with Pokémon Legends: Arceus taking the number one spot; that's despite Nintendo not sharing digital game sales with NPD, so its result is solely from physical sales. You may also note the return of Monster Hunter: Rise, which was largely driven by the PC release and Steam sales.
It'll be interesting to see how Switch hardware availability fares over the next few months, with Nintendo's revised target being to have sold 23 million systems for the financial year (end of March). Next month's NPD software results, meanwhile, will be focused on how the momentum has held up for the current strong performers on Switch.
Let us know what you think of the results, as always, in the comments below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 50
The Switch story is exhausted, people. Nintendo is dying and these are scary times for Nintendo fans.
But seriously, Arceus looks like a really fun game and I guess a lot of people felt the same way in January. It also seems stock issues are hitting the Switch because Mat mentioned that several times in his tweets (as noted in this article).
Switch stock situation is almost as dire as PS5 and Xbox Series X now.
From what I've seen, some GameStop stores haven't gotten new Switch shipments since December, which means some of those stores may have literally sold 0 Switch units in January.
Well duh. What did you bloody expect? Not complaining though, if there was ever a Pokemon game to sell well, this is the one.
@uptownsoul no, because Sony always wins. No matter how many units of PS5 they sell.
@IronMan30 How did you read an article about a Nintendo exclusive topping the charts and conclude that Nintendo is dying and these are scary times for Nintendo fans?
@Astral-Grain oh, that was sarcasm because Switch was number 3 in sales due to hardware shortages. It's in the article so I figured I'd start the dumb doom and gloom now.
@uptownsoul I'm just parroting Sony fanboy arguments. They unironically do follow the logic you stated.
@IronMan30 The last Direct was awful. The Switch has no stock, no games and no chance. Abandon hope, ship and (for the purposes of this comment) reason!
@GrailUK yep, Nintendo is a sinking ship if they aren't selling 10 billion units of Switch a day!
@uptownsoul of course that is the logic because Switch is the older console. Most people would assume that, but Switch's sales for about 24 of those 33 months can be directly attributed to demand. In other words, in today's environment you can say that supply of any console that leads in sales is due to availability (including Japan, to a lesser degree than the other major markets). At the moment, demand is hard to gauge.
@IronMan30 @GrailUK I was gonna say something that you are kinda being negative but then I realized you were all being sarcastic
@anoyonmus I was going to give you a bonk on the head and tell you we are being sarcastic but you figured it out in time
Excuse me...does that say Ouya? We've all seen the Crowbcat supercut of the rise and fall of the little box that couldn't.
@westman98 must be very different in the US to here in the UK. I've just checked 5 different online shops and they all had the oled, normal and lite in stock.
Legends Arceus is the best Pokémon game I've ever played and I've been playing Pokémon since day one. I'm so glad this game is doing well because I was a bit apprehensive at first and I wasn't sure how people would react to it.
@Ironman30 @GrailUK You don't like people who push "Nintendo is in trouble" messages and to prevent them from happening in the first place, you push "Nintendo is in trouble" messages?
@uptownsoul I've noticed the converse of that, tbh. But I mean, this is a Nintendo fansite. What else would you expect but people thinking the Switch is selling the best only because of demand and not a mix of supply and demand?
@Astral-Grain I live on the edge. Lol
@uptownsoul For the past year, yes. Ever since the launch of PS5/XBSX stock constraints have driven sales numbers instead of demand.
The same thing happened back when the Switch first launched, and when the PS4 launched (though not the XB1 iirc). What's unusual is that it's happening outside of the launch window.
Love watching people go on about other entertainment devices when the Article in question has nothing to do with it at all.
@westman98
I thought that to. But then I got an app that tracks stock and every morning my computer goes off telling me that a switch is in stock every five minutes.
@RubyCarbuncle
It’s called sarcasm
@IronMan30 Not only that, the switch is doing terribly and Nintendo is going to go third party and make games for Sony.
@blindsquarel If you say so.
@IronMan30 you keep forgetting the sloppy typing and CAPS in random places. Otherwise, the sarcasm game is getting stronger.
@Serialsid weird, because I check stores for stock (I do want an OLED even though I know I'm not convincing my wife to let me buy one) and it's out of stock most places I look. Heck, so is the regular one because I just check for the sake of it sometimes. I doubt Mat Piscatella of NPD has any reason to lie about stock issues, either...
Let's make Pokemon Legends a game series Game Freak!
It's a fun idea but the setting isn't my cup of tea. It seems primed for an African safari theme
Secondly, whennnnnn will be get home support?!
Switch is my favourite console in a long long time. I've got a Series S. It's an awesome media centre and Game Pass is ace. I play games on Steam on my laptop and that's great for retro / sim / strategy stuff and has loads of deals. Switch just has that magic though. It's been fun watching so many people underestimate the thing. Long may it continue.
A Pokémon game sold well ? I'm shocked 🙃
@IronMan30
You bought a ps5 for $800 on eBay and you are just sad that their games are rarely exclusive to the ps5 and still coming out on the ps4
@steventonysmith this is true.
Although, jokes aside, I did buy a PS5 to re-sell and one to give away during Christmas time. Don't hate me...
Pokemon doing Pokemon things.
@PokemonDMG I heard that they will be making DLC for it but that is kinda a no brainer with how popular it is and the way it was designed for easy additions
@Serialsid
Yes, the situation is very different outside of the US where Switch is largely available. Nintendo has has talked about this in their last financial report.
@ChakraStomps Great since I finished the main story, caught almost every Pokemon, and finished almost every mission. I credit Game Freak for the tough Boss battles!
@IronMan30 amazon UK has (oled) for delivery tomorrow if you order in the next hour(prime). Game has them in stock, the game collection/ curry's. I personally can't justify one as my 2017 model still works fine.
@IronMan30
Try Amazon at 6:30 am( mountain time). I get hot stock alerts every three seconds from then to 8:30.
Damn top seller of the month and it released on the 28th, that is an extremely strong start. Hope it keeps on selling well so TPC and GF realise that we want more change in the franchise.
@PokemonDMG Just got the game, so I haven't gotten to far into it but if it's not something that can only be pulled off with Arceus (don't spoil me, please), I'd love to see more Legends games set in historical Pokemon locations, even new regions based off of historical civilizations like ancient Greece and Egypt would be super cool.
Nintendo started in 1889. Sony started in 1946. Microsoft started in 1975.... Don't let this distract you from the fact that in 1966, Al Bundy scored four touchdowns in a single game while playing for the Polk High School Panthers in the 1966 city championship game versus Andrew Johnson High School, including the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against his old nemesis, "Spare Tire" Dixon.
@westman98
Meanwhile my targets, best buy and Walmarts have been able to keep switch systems in stock where I live
@steventonysmith what location is that? OLED isn't easy to find if your looking at Red/Blue and even sometimes White Joycon versions. I've seen Lite/v2. Switch - OLED isn't something easily found where I am at in a physical store footprint.
@SwitchForce
I'm in South Dakota and I can find the following easily in stores
OLED
Lite
V2
V2 Animal Crossing
@steventonysmith
OLED
No GameStop
Lite
GameStop
V2
GameStop
V2 Animal Crossing
No GameStop and haven't seen in Walmart physical store.
I think OLED showed up only online at Walmart and Amazon but didn't last long or only secs.
@SwitchForce @SwitchForce
For you mental health you are allowed to and definitely should shop somewhere other than GameStop or Walmart
@IronMan30
I do hate scalpers
@steventonysmith I resold one (scalpers buy multiple and sell them all, which I didn't do) and gave one away, but I hate you too.
@IronMan30
So you only ruined one person's Christmas. Congrats you are only a little scummy
@steventonysmith yep.
@IronMan30
I like to be an adult and work hard for my money, not scam people out of their money
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