Nintendo has recorded a highly successful Q2 2020, with sales of the Switch console continuing to do well.
With a strong first quarter under its belt, mainly thanks to sales of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it is encouraging to see Nintendo’s pastures are in full bloom as we enter the holiday season.
Nintendo Switch Sales Continue to Soar
The first financial quarter proved to be a profitable one for Nintendo. It had sold 5.68 million Switch units by the time June 2020 had ended and sales haven’t let up, leaving the creators of the iconic Mario character in a strong position going forward.
Having now submitted its financial report for Q2, Nintendo has confirmed that the total number of Switch units sold since launch is 68.3 million. This means that, between July and September 2020, Nintendo sold another 6.86 million Switch devices across the original and Switch Light ranges.
Will the Switch Be a Handheld-Beater?
The unit sales of the mighty Nintendo Switch have already managed to surpass that of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), which sold 61.91 million units during its production lifetime. Now, Nintendo’s latest console has its sights set firmly on the 3DS, which has sold 75.94 million units.
With the holiday season on the horizon and such a big improvement from quarter-to-quarter, there is no reason why Nintendo can’t record a further seven or eight million sales to surpass the 3DS. Well, apart from the imminent release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, that is.
These new figures also mean that the Nintendo Switch and Switch Light combined, have sold more than double the number of Nintendo 64 units, and triple what the unappreciated GameCube managed to achieve. Which isn’t bad considering the Switch was only released in 2017.
Speaking of handhelds, however, the Switch still has some way to go to jump the high bar set by the original Game Boy. That sold over 118 million units in its lifetime, so there is still plenty of work to do before the Switch gains the accolade of true handheld-beater.
A Mario-Style Run of Luck for Nintendo
Clearly, sales of the Nintendo Switch have benefited somewhat from the recent COVID pandemic. People have been stuck at home so will have sought out new forms of entertainment. However, will this run of luck be sent wayward by the impending next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft?
That remains to be seen, however. With stock for the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles expected to be low, initially, it may well be that parents or spouses will need to find an alternative when shopping for the gamer in their life.
Perhaps, then, they’ll look towards Nintendo to help avoid a disappointed child or partner on Christmas Day.
