From the moment I first got my hands on a Nintendo Switch, I knew the console was going to sell extremely well. That said, I did not expect the innovative system to ship nearly 10 million units in a little under a year since its release.
Given the busy holiday shopping season is current in full swing, it’s possible the Switch could ship 11 million units before its first birthday.
This puts the Nintendo Switch well on its way to outperforming the lack lustre Wii U, which shipped only 13.5 million units since its launch in 2012.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that production of the Switch has been increased in order to meet demand. During the first few months of the system’s release, the Switch was extremely difficult to find in store and online.
“As you can see in people’s living rooms, on a plane or riding the subway, fans all over the world can enjoy playing Nintendo Switch wherever they go,” said Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime, in a statement. “The response from fans has been great, and we’re doing our very best to satisfy demand during the holiday shopping season.”
2017 has marked a very successful year for Nintendo full of exclusive, well-received titles, including Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
In my review of the Nintendo Switch I said the following about the console:
“There are a lot of things to like about Nintendo’s new console. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that I find it more compelling than the Xbox One and PS4 because of its handheld-console hybrid capability.”
Though the Switch has experienced a successful first year on the market, it’s still unclear if Nintendo can keep this momentum going into 2018. The Japanese gaming giant’s systems have a history of selling well for their first few months to a year, before rapidly slowing down when it comes to sales.
When taking into consideration the fact that Nintendo’s $399 console is up against the $379 PlayStation 4 and the $249 Xbox One, the system’s first-year sales statistics are even more impressive.
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