Nintendo has once again revised its hardware forecast downwards as sales of the Nintendo Switch and its games have not met expectations. In the first nine months of the current financial year, Nintendo's dedicated game console business saw a year-on-year decrease of 31.7%, totaling 895.5 billion yen (approximately $5.7 billion). This decline is attributed to reduced sales of both the Nintendo Switch hardware and software.
Similarly, income from mobile and IP-related ventures dropped by 33.9% year-on-year to 49.7 billion yen (approximately $320 million), largely due to the challenging comparison with the success of the 2023 blockbuster, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. As a result, the company's gross profit fell by 27.3% year-on-year to 565.5 billion yen (approximately $3.6 billion).
What's the Best Nintendo Switch Game?
Pick a Winner
New Duel
1ST
2ND
3RDSee Your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community's!Continue PlayingSee Results
Nintendo has now lowered its financial forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2025, marking the second consecutive downward revision. The company now anticipates selling fewer Nintendo Switch units than previously projected, adjusting its forecast from 12.5 million to 11 million units. Similarly, software sales expectations have been revised down by 10 million to 150 million units.
While declines were expected given the Nintendo Switch is now in its eighth year, the actual figures have been more significant than Nintendo anticipated. Nevertheless, the Switch has achieved sales of over 150 million units, a remarkable milestone for Nintendo. Although surpassing the PlayStation 2's 160 million units sold to become the best-selling video game console of all time might be out of reach, the Nintendo DS' 154 million units are within sight.
Nintendo described the sales of the Switch and its software during the third quarter ending December 31, 2024, as "stable given the fact that the platform is in its eighth year." Overall, sales of the entire Nintendo Switch family of systems decreased by 30.6% year-on-year, totaling 9.54 million units. Software sales also saw a decline of 24.4% year-on-year, reaching 123.98 million units. Despite these declines, new releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (3.91 million), Super Mario Party Jamboree (6.17 million), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (5.38 million), and Nintendo Switch Sports (2.63 million) performed well during the three-month period. Mario & Luigi: Brothership sold 1.4 million units.
Super Mario Party Jamboree emerged as a standout success, surpassing the sales pace of previous titles in the Mario Party series for the Nintendo Switch within the first 11 weeks of its release on October 17, 2024.
Importantly, as Nintendo gears up for the release of the Switch 2 later this year, the number of active players has reached an all-time high, with 129 million 'annual playing users' in 2024. This indicates sustained interest in the Switch, even nearly eight years after its launch.
"Nintendo Switch unit sales declined year-on-year, but even in the eighth year since its launch in March 2017, Nintendo Switch continues to attract the interest of consumers, and sales in some weeks during the holiday season exceeded same-week sales of the previous year," Nintendo stated.
AnswerSee ResultsGiven Nintendo’s latest financial report, investors are eager for the Nintendo Switch 2 to be released sooner rather than later. Nintendo has lined up several titles for the original Switch, including Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on March 20, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond scheduled for release in 2025.
Nintendo mentioned the Switch 2 in its report, reiterating the planned release in 2025 and the initial hardware reveal on January 16. Nintendo plans to hold a Switch 2 Direct on April 2, where more details will be unveiled. Additionally, hands-on events for the Switch 2 are scheduled in cities worldwide.
