Nintendo Switch sales have surpassed 10 million amid the console’s first holiday season since it was released in March. That means the hybrid console is selling just about as good as the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Wii in their first months of availability.
Nintendo Switch sales reach key milestone in nine months
The Japanese console and game maker announced the 10 million milestone for Nintendo Switch sales in a press release on Tuesday, and Forbes contributor Paul Tassi noted that it took a little over nine months for the console to hit that mark. In comparison, the PlayStation 4 reached the 10 million mark in a little less than nine months, a difference of roughly a week, although that’s nothing when it comes to console sales.
Nintendo Switch sales are also on par with those of the Wii, which reached 10 million in about nine months at a time when the excitement for it was at a fever pitch. The Switch’s success is widely seen as being essential to Nintendo’s recovery, as it took more than two and a half years to sell 10 million Wii U consoles. It certainly looks like the Japanese firm is back in the game, thanks to the Switch.
Ars Technica also offered some further perspective on Nintendo Switch sales. For example, there were 2.74 million Switch consoles sold in its first month of availability. To show just how hard of a sell the Wii U was, compare that number to the ten and a half months it took to sell 3.91 million Wii U consoles.
Supply shortages may be resolving
Indeed, Nintendo Switch sales have exceeded even the company’s own expectations, as initially management was planning to produce only 8 million consoles during its first year. The Japanese gaming company initially expected it to take an entire year to sell 10 million Switch consoles. As of October, they had increased their projection for Switch sales to 16.7 million by the end of March.
In addition to the interest triggered by the unusual hybrid nature of the console, Nintendo Switch sales have also been helped by games that have set record sales. Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all gave Nintendo fans reason to buy the console. The company has even more major titles lined up for 2018, including Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, Kirby Star Allies, and a new Yoshi game, among others. Bayonetta 3 was also announced recently as a Switch-exclusive title, so the company clearly has its game face on.
The Switch has been plagued by supply problems since the very beginning, but Nintendo also said in today’s press release that it should have plenty of the consoles on store shelves to satisfy demand. We haven’t been hearing nearly as much about supply shortages recently, so these problems may be resolving.
