Nintendo Closing In On 20 Million Switch Sales

By Stefanie Fogel

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Nintendo sold nearly 20 million Switch units since the console’s launch in March 2017, according to an earnings report the company released on Tuesday.

said it sold 19.67 million of its flagship console as of June 30. We don’t know how well the Switch did in July, so it’s possible the hybrid handheld/home console has already surpassed the 20 million milestone. An estimated 1.9 million hardware units were sold in the last fiscal quarter, slightly down compared to the 2 million units sold during the same period last year. Downloadable games and add-on content for the platform also did well last quarter, bringing digital sales to 18.5 billion yen, a 68% increase year-on-year.

“For Nintendo Switch, hardware sales in every region have been trending upwards since the video game expo, E3, was held in the U.S. in June,” the company said. “In parallel with an increase in digital sales, software sales also have been moving in good shape towards the holiday season.”

Nintendo also updated its list of top-selling titles . “Super Mario Odyssey” sold over 11 million copies on Switch, while “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” sold over 10 million. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” is nearing the 10 million mark as well. It sold 9.3 million copies worldwide.

Meanwhile, sales of Nintendo Labo reached 1.39 million units. The DIY cardboard construction kits launched in April. The NES Classic, which re-launched in June, has sold 1.26 million units. Plus, mobile game revenues are up slightly. Smart devices and IP related income reached 9 billion yen, Nintendo said, a 0.4% increase year-on-year.

Overall, Nintendo’s total sales for the quarter reached 168 billion yen. Over 76% of those sales came from overseas markets. Operating profit came to 30.5 billion yen, an 88% increase compared to the same period last year.