Switch Sales Pass 139 Million, Will Be "Main Business" Heading Into 2024, Says Nintendo President

So Switch 2 was just a rumour then...

just 15 more milions consoles for Nintendo Switch to outsell DS/PS2 and become the best selling console of all time

@Dazman they wouldn't announce it on a financial note. It's happening

@Dazman Just like the switch pro they 'rumoured us to death with!

YES! YES! YES! We need to beat PS2's lifetime total sales! WE NEED TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL!
@Giancarlothomaz YES!

Please fix the headline. It's "heading into 2024," not throughout 2024.

"Only" 16mio units left til the Switch becomes the best selling console of all time
Even though I expect the Switch 2 to launch this year Nintendo might actually be able to pull that off (especially since the won't immediatelly stop selling Switches as soon as the Switch 2 launches)

Well, good news for the Switch but my hopes of a Switch 2 coming out this year have now dropped!

Unless it will be released around September, thus not being the ‘main’ business.

Regardless of whether Switch 2 or N 11 is coming this year they aren't going to say it in a report before they actually have a big show off of the system. Otherwise they are telling customers the switch is almost dead don't buy it but also we got nothing else to sell atm.

"main business" doesn't mean only business. 😉
I'd still bet real money on new hardware this year.

I have a feeling we are not getting Switch 2 until March 2025.
I think Nintendo want the Switch to be the best selling console in the history of gaming.
If they release second half of this year a new big AAA maybe DK 3d game and some smaller titles and good remakes, the Switch will continue to sell until March 2025.

If Nintendo handles Switch right it could end up being the highest selling console of all time. I'm not sure it will handle Switch right in that regard, but I would be aiming for that title if I were Nintendo--just because.

There's a real shot for Switch surpassing the PS2. That's wild. ❤

Why does everyone assume the next console is Switch 2? It could be something else entirely.

It could, but considering how massive of a success the Switch has been, it's incredibly unlikely and would honestly be foolish on Nintendo's part to do so.

We're never getting the Super Switch pro.

@iLikeUrAttitude pretty much this. It's basically gonna be an upgraded switch. I mean what more can they to really do to innovate console gaming at this point?

Nintendo should release switch lite oled with better dpad (and put it in the upper console rather than lower like in switch lite), and the ability to use the dock, then surely 154M lifetime sales will be achieved 😃

I like my switch but I'm using my nintendo 2ds way more because of how convenient it is, new 2ds is like a smartphone while switch is like a tablet, I use both iphone and ipad but iphone is getting way more screentime than my ipad. It will be cool if nintendo release both the rumored 8 inch screen switch 2, and a mini 5 inch screen switch 2 lite.

I agree, Nintendo could have interest for Switch becoming the most sold hardware of history, but...for what purpose ? The next hardware will come before it happens, it could be dangerous making publicities for a old hardware.
An enterprise is only interested in business.
I want the Switch to surpass everything, because it's an hybrid one, and a wonderful hardware, with great games.
PS2 is considered sol between 155 to 159 million.
At least, 20 million more Switch in 2 or 3 years could be nice to reach this goal. 160 million is a beautiful number.

@hashkey
I’m actually hoping for Switch 2 this year myself.
But want to keep my excitement in check.

That's quite promising actually seeing how they usually just flat out say "we're not releasing new hardware this FY"

If it keeps getting a few more notable games, it's now possible Switch can reach the top after all. Like I keep posting, Switch will still sell even with a new system out. 3DS was still going for another year or two even after Switch launched.

If my product's seventh year sales matched those of the launch year (somewhat supply-limited but nonetheless), I'd lack motivation for permanent price cuts as well. Chances are that will really be the card to play after the start of Gen 10... if ever, because with the current totals guaranteed to go over 140 million by the end of next quarter, it can easily seem like Switch could coast its way to the top even without it.

@Croctopus and 3DS got some of its biggest headturners in my book during early Gen 9 as well - Valentia and Ever Oasis, Monster Hunter Stories and Strange Journey Redux, more Persona Q, Etrian Odyssey and Yokai Watch, ports like Luigi's Mansion, Kirby's Epic Yarn and Radiant Historia, the remake of Metroid 2... even Fire Emblem Warriors went crossgen, if on the beefier models only. There's little doubt Switch, with twice the sales and a less exotic form factor to address, will keep getting cool stuff for at least a few years into Gen 10 as well. And as for the relatively more routine releases... when did Just Dance get its last Wii port, again?

Switch sales in the 27th quarter of its life = over half the sales of the Wii U's entire lifetime

Nearly 140M, very impressive. Could very well pass PS2 for best selling gaming platform of all time, insane.

It's safe to say Nintendo is fine for the next decade, considering the Mario movie by itself made more than a billion dollars.
They just need to build customer retention on this installed base with a back compat digital library, adding the rest of their whole retro library with GC, Wii and DS.
There's a discussion on what form factor they would need to repeat this success, and there's something to be said for the more plain reiterative design, since the GBA sold less than the GB and the 3DS sold less than the DS. The rumoured clamshell with a detachable screen might do the trick, but who knows. They surely need to repeat the original trailer for the switch with its simple "case of use" scenarios. That by itself was a clear enough communication to surpass WiiU in one year.

This sounds like Switch 2 isn't happening this year (March 2025 launch perhaps?) which means the next Direct is likely ending up like the June 2023 one (before that Direct the upcoming lineup was very barren and then it became extremely packed). Of course this time the known upcoming lineup is less empty in comparison but the point I was trying to get across was lots of announcements happening.

Nintendo sneezes and y'all read the snot saying it clearly indicates the super Switch is right around the corner.

@OldGamer999 Yea it’s an interesting situation for Nintendo. Dated tech, a console that has been on the market almost seven years which still sells 18 million a year, and a player base of 120 million.

Don’t think any gaming company has seen a situation like this before. Will be interesting to see how Nintendo navigate this.

I am slowly more and more done, with the old switch. When i finish Zelda i will be kinda done with it. My son is mostly playing on it. Else i would have sold it already. If they dont announce a switch two before the summer, i will go over to a handheld PC.

My Grandmother work at Nintendo, she told me Switch 2 was planning to release in july, but they canceled lately to release it until November.

Of course Seitch will surpass PS2! It took PS2 eleven years to sell 150m and total 14 years to hit 155-156m with numetous price-cuts. Switch isn’t even 7 years yet and already has soon 140m now and that without any price-cuts after all!

@mariomaster96 We don’t know the exact numbers for the PlayStation 2, though. We know it sold AT LEAST 155 million units. It could be more, but Sony stopped tracking those numbers long ago.

The sales of the Switch are impressive. However, Nintendo used to sell a handheld and a console side by side before the Switch released. In the end it means their Wii/DS era was way, way more successful. Combining the sales of Wii and DS will dwarf the sales of the Switch.

I just wish they’d say if they’ll do a new console/upgrade this year or not. Because if they’re not I’ll get the asus or steam handheld thing instead. And if they are I can put the money aside for their product.

@Cameron_Poe
It’s funny really there are obviously issues to deal with when your console sells bad, but also decisions and issues to deal with when it sells amazingly well.

@Fyrus92
I was thinking that, even though the Switch has sold really well, when you take into account what you said about Wii and DS era combined then it all looks a bit different.
Wonder what one has given the best financial profit results. I would have thought Wii & DS era.

Some could say the Switch sales on its own are impressive but a bit smoke and mirrors compared to the Wii & DS era combined from once where Nintendo came from.

@dartmonkey Also the content of this article makes it sound like the Switch sold just over 7 million from November to 31st December. But that's wrong. November was when the last financial data came out which reported sales up till September 30th 2023. Just like today's data released in Feb reports up till December 31st. So it should read 139.36 million up from 132.46 million sold by end of Sept 23 (as reported in November's financial report)

@Fyrus92 The marketplace has completely changed since the near 20 years that the DS and Wii launched. Thats like comparing album sales now to pre streaming or pre mp3s. It's just not a meaningful exercise. Nintendos last hardware releases under the most similar market conditions were Wii U and 3DS and Switch has outsold both combined by a substantial margin. That's a greater sign of success. As is how the Switch is doing in comparison to its current gen competitors who have faced the same market conditions I.e the PS5 and XSX.

@iLikeUrAttitude
Wii U has entered the chat

The Switch cannot be stopped lol. I have a feeling it’ll reach DS sales by the beginning of 2025

Definately slowing down now as the graph shows, nice to see the figures and showing the peak of sales in 2021 - my assumption is this is what a healthy selling systems lifecycle looks like. Even though its slowing (which is expected), its certainly done well for Nintendo - its been a great system

@Rainbowfire Because this is what Nintendo does after their massive successes.

DS sells over a hundred million? Make a 3DS. Wii sells over a hundred million? Make a Wii U. Switch sells over a hundred million, what do you guess will happen?

Sales have actually increased from last year, most people were expecting the slump. In fact, majority of Switches sold were the OLED model. It's likely people are replacing their worn-out base models with the fancier OLED model which is why sales will remain strong.

@Grumblevolcano Not really. We've gotta pay attention to the wording. It's very intentional. Nintendo said Switch is their main business heading into 2024. Not that it's their only business in 2024. Just that it's their main one at the start of 2024. The wording allows the rumours of new hardware in the 2nd half of 2024 to be true.

@Scoopz To be fair, Switch has never been their only business. But it has always been the main business for as long as it's been around.

In fact, if a successor launches late this year, then for the year overall it'll still have been the main business.

But Switch has always shared the overall business with mobile, 3DS, theme parks, entertainment ventures, amiibo, merch...

Wow, now they just need 20 million units sold by the end of 2024 to beat the PlayStation 2 sales numbers. They also need 16 million units sold to beat the Nintendo DS sales numbers. My guess is they'll make sure the Switch beat the DS before they announced the successor, they don't want Switch sales to dwindle any time soon and announcing a successor now will hamper that goal. Once the Switch beats the DS sales numbers, then it'll be a piece of cake to beat the PS2 sales numbers by that point since it'll be an easy 4 million units more to get through.

@Haruki_NLI Precisely. That's why people shouldn't be down on the lack of a Switch 2 acknowledgement as the wording doesn't mean or even suggest a successor isn't at least being announced this year.

@Dazman No. Even if the Switch 2 comes out at the end of the year, the OG Switch is still Nintendo's main business going into 2024, as stated.

@Serpenterror Why do these sales have to occur by the end of 2024 to equal a win over the DS and PS2?

@Scoopz Cause by the end of 2023 Switch is already at 139 million units sold worldwide. The Nintendo DS is at 156 million units sold worldwide and the PS2 at 159 million units sold worldwide. Switch just needs to get to 160+ million units sold to beat both by the end of 2024. Of course they could always beat both in 2025 too but 2024 would be a better goal if they plan to introduced the successor soon cause once the successor is official, sales for Switch will dwindle and people will start saving money for the successor instead thus an easy 20+ million units sold could easily dwindle to just 5-9 million units sold. They need that 20+ million units sales goal and if they still had many surprises for the Switch in 2024 then I believe they should had no issues hitting those numbers. Remember it took the PS2 twelve years to get to that 159 million units sold, it took the Nintendo DS ten years to get to 156 million units sold, if the Switch could beat both numbers in eight years, that would be very impressive.

1) Of course it's main business heading into 2024. With Switch 2 releasing this fall, Switch will indeed be their main business heading into this year.

2) Note how they didn't state, "no new hardware this FY" like they usually do. There's a reason for that.

3) Switch will 100% crush the PS2 record. It's 15 million away. By March 2024, it'll be at 142 million, just 13m from the record. By March 2025, Switch tops 150m easily. Even with Switch 2 launching. That's only 8m the entire FY. It'll more than likely be 152-154m, but let's be conservative and just sat 150m.

At that point, Switch could waltz blindfolded over the PS2 record. It hasn't even seen a price drop, and will sell for YEARS into the Switch 2 lifespan. Just wait til $99 Switch Lites hit shelves over a holiday period. Switch will surpass 160 million before it finishes its run.

It's happening. Nothing can stop it now. The PS2 record achieved over 12 years will be shattered by a console in 8 years, likely without a price drop either. And no DVD player to help drive sales.

Take a screenshot. Document it. Mark it on your calendar. Switch shatters the PS2 record sometime mid-2025.

@Serpenterror Fair enough. I thought you were trying to assert the achievement had to be done by the end of 2024 or it wouldn't count for some arbitrary reason. Well the Switch is 100% not going to sell 20 million in one calendar year. That'd be pandemic level sales performance so just isn't realistic at this stage in its life cycle. By the end of the year I think an additional 10 to 12 million is realistic and the following year probably 5 to 7 million as sales will plummet come Switch 2. It'll beat the DS and with a little luck and decent software support beating PS2 by the end of December 2025 is feasible

The number of units that the Nintendo Switch has sold up until this point has been pretty incredible. This definitely goes to show that a hybrid device is indeed the way forward for Nintendo, though they have been known to turn our worlds upside down with each console release. I am curious to see how their next hardware looks. I expect a similar item to a Nintendo Switch, but with some crazy additional features.

Switch 2 wasn’t happening this year anyway, it seems that the reports of it being next year or even 26 were right.

@Overzeal This statement doesn't confirm or even suggest that. It simply says the original Switch will be their MAIN business HEADING into 2024. Not that it'll be their only console business throughout 2024. Plus if Switch 2 was to launch end of 2024 Switch 1 would've still been Nintendos main business heading into 2024.

At the very least we'll get an announcement this year. Sales are declining too much and there'll be too much pressure from shareholders.

@JaxonH Jax is back spitting facts. Agree with pretty much all of that. 👍 I’m of the belief that the Switch will see a few more nice games, not only the current sorry excuse of a lineup, but they haven’t shown them yet b/c theyll be dual releases like almost every PS4/5 game and Xbox1/Series and they want to show the new hardware first. And new Pokémon may be Switch only, Gamefreak follows the install base. Guess you can say I think both things can be true at once, Switch 2 launches but Switch also gets new games. Which means Switch gets the record. I’ll nitpick and say holiday 2025 just to be sure, not mid 2025, but that’s just me covering my behind.😁

@wiiware “ using my nintendo 2ds way more “

Ok since we were just discussing the 2DS last night at dinner are you still using the original cheap 1 speaker flat 2DS tablet or the clamshell New 2DS XL? I keep waiting for them to make a clamshell SwitchDS so they can port all of their 3/DS games but I can’t imagine they’ll ever do that flat tablet design again.

@solarwolf07 The problem with the Wii U wasn't that they made another, more powerful Wii; it was that they marketed it like dogSH, and gave it a variety of gimmicks but never committed to any one as a signature feature.
Having no games outside a handful of noteworthy exclusives didn't help.

@Rainbowfire Nintendo are the kings of left field announcements, so I'm really hoping they surprise us by announcing the Nintendo Switch 3.

@Dazman It's not really a rumor, it's an inevitability. They cannot sell the Switch forever, and once Switch sales fall they will fall like a brick. They also need to get a hardware followup out at least a year or two before the next Playstation or XBOX to get some Christmas seasons to themselves.

Oh, man, the Switch is closing in on the PS2 and DS. It's about time the PS2 was dethroned by a system that people actually used for gaming, not just a cheap DVD player.

So I assume we are going to have a 2025 release date for the next console. And that they might announce it later in 2024.

Nintendo are waiting for Switch to be the best selling console of all time before they can start the marketing campaign proclaiming the next console the sequel to the best selling console of all time. Ordering 10 OLEDs now to expedite the process.

@Axecon Both hardware sales figures and software sales figures are down year-over-year, as shown on slide #10 in the linked pdf from the article. The weakening of the yen is actually where about 2/3 of their increased sales come from according their 4th slide. The other 33 bn yen may be from TOTK’s higher price point and continued increase revenue from their mobile industry and other non-videogame revenue streams (as those were two major areas of growth).

@Giancarlothomaz ps2 is over 158 million

@liljmoore You liked HD rumble? Well now we give you 4K buttons!

@1day these are not confirmed PS2 sales numbers

Wow, the Switch is coming for the #1 spot, and fast!

"Heading into"
"Heading into"?!
What does that mean?! Fans, analysts and investors alike are awaiting for Nintendo to at least confirm its existence!
Even they should know that it's best to both announce and release the console while its predecessor is still selling well, DON'T make the same timing mistake the Wii U went through.

I think the PS2 numbers are in the bag at this point. The Switch will likely be in production for a year or two beyond the successors release. Even with a 50% drop in sales, it will get there in 2 years from this April. If they ride another 12 months with a solid lineup, could be 1 year.

Really not sure about the successor this year if they are still hitting 15 million sold. They are still making a shed load of money and as a business with shareholders, it's all about the bottom line.

yes just like the past 3 years, just rumors for clout and clicks @Dazman

@mariomaster96 Yeah, I was thinking if they keep the Switch on the market for a year or two after the Super Nintendo Switch launches, but discount the OG to like $199, there would still be a market for 5 to 10 million more thus making it the number one selling one ever.

Doesn't that mean the business year till March 2024? What about after? Strange they should should talk about 2 months worth of business and not the whole of 2024, so i don't know.

@rjejr I bought a new New 2DS XL just 4 month ago (at about $255), I really enjoyed the console, I have old 3ds xl a couple of years ago but I didn't like it since it's too bulky for me. This new 2ds xl is waay better since it's more like smartphone, I really like playing games on this console 😃

I want nintendo to make switch 2 with 2 screens like folding smartphone, like samsung galaxy fold 5, man can you imagine how cool it is 😁

Announcing a "Switch 2" early this year would hurt the Switch's future sales. I'm willing to bet $20 the next cosole will be announced in the Fall and will drop sometime December 2024. with chances it'll leak in the Summer.

In the meantime, Nintendo is going to milk the original Switch for all it's worth this year.

@wiiware New 2DS XL

Thanks. I'm glad you're playing on that and not the original tablet which always looked like a kids toy to me. And why only 1 speaker?

They should have made a Switch DS w/ OLED on the top and LCD on the bottom. Maybe someday.

Those sales figures comes as no surprise to anyone following or knows about how successful the Switch is.

@SurprisedRobinChu Announcing a "Switch 2" early this year would hurt the Switch's future sales.
More NintenDoomed talks and will not hurt current Switch. This is a fallacy people like to entertain but that's the extend their own entertainment. There are going to be Core buyers and general buyers some will get the Switch 2 and some will stay with Switch v2.

@SwitchForce
No, @SurprisedRobinChu is 100% correct. And nothing they said implied "doom", that's just silly, rephrasing their argument in such a way to attack it.

I don't care what console it is or how well its doing, announcement of a successor WILL drop sales, every single time, no matter what, no exceptions. When word spreads of a new system on the way, it DOES affect consumer spending for the current console. That's a proven economic fact.

Which is precisely why they'll wait until summer to announce Switch 2, with a fall release.

@rjejr
The lineup is the final evidence Switch 2 is right at the door. For 7 years Nintendo has provided a consistent lineup of high quality new games. The 2024 spread includes a Mario vs DK GBA remake, a Luigi's Mansion 2 3DS remake, a Paper Mario Thousand Year Door GameCube remake, and Princess Peach Showtime. Not saying these aren't good games. Paper Mario TTYD has been one of my most desired Switch releases of the last 5 years. But it's clear they're putting the vast majority of their development into Switch 2 at this point, with a few easy remasters to fill the gap between now and Switch 2 launch.

If we're lucky, we'll at least get Metroid Prime 2 Remastered on Switch this year, maybe even Prime 3 Remastered. Beyond that, I'm really not expecting anything more. We're too close to Switch 2 at this point.

Switch will likely get a port of Metroid Prime 4 when it launches with Switch 2, and a year or two of light support from Nintendo beyond that. But generally speaking, Thousand Year Door is the last truly hype Nintendo exclusive for Switch, for me (unless Prime 2 and 3 get remastered). I'll still buy and play Luigis Mansion and Mario vs DK. But those aren't games I've got marked on my calendar. Paper Mario TTYD is a game I'll be taking off work for.

I'm ready for Switch 2 though. Btw, Prince of Persia Lost Crown, I just beat last week. Best 2D metroidvania I've ever played. Even tops Metroid Dread.

I hope Switch 2 is bc with joycon now that Mobapad M6 HD are a thing. They're the perfect joycon. No way Switch 2 joycon top these things. HD rumble, NFC, Gyro, split wireless with 17 hr battery, HALL Effect analogs, mechanical buttons using Omron switches like gaming mice, d-pad swaps with rocker d-pad, rear mappable buttons, faceplates swap with round or octagonal gates, anti friction rings, swappable analogs, turbo, macros, makes Switch OLED ergonomic as Steamdeck, and d-pad is best I've used in my entire life.

I'll be very surprised if this surpasses the ds to be the highest selling video game system, and no ps2 doesn't count especially since people had to buy 2 or 3 systems due to the outdated dvd player that it had.

@JaxonH And to think they aren't milking Switch OLED already. Replicating Switch numbers will never overrun current figures-that's a impossible to undue. This is why the Switch was a success but if one is just looking at numbers then they forgot why it's so successful to begin with.

@rjejr I think making it like kid toy is the point of old 2ds, it's cheap and I heard it's sturdy and surprisingly comfortable to use too. It's pretty cool actually for nintendo to make both cheap & sturdy 2ds and sleeks smartphone like 2ds xl 😃

@JaxonH I played the PoP demo for a bit, got way down into some room where a door locked behind me and a big boss guy demolished me. Got the "Game Over" screen, no wait maybe that was Mario v DK, then got put back to the last tree save point w/ a big red X or skull or something way down where I died, and that was enough for me. 😂 It was pretty good up until that point though. I was playing on PS5, looked nice.

Metrodvanias aren't really my thing, but this seems like a really good one for people who like them. Must be killing you waiting for a new Donkey Kong game, kinda crazy how much people liked the first 2 but all Switch got was ports, no new games. Next Tuesday 2/13 is the 10 year anniversary of DKTF release (which you probably knew) that's a long wait, sheesh. Not that they're similar, but something for you to play along those lines.

Cooking dinner, will catch up on Switch 2 thoughts some other time. Like maybe after my hand surgery heals, stupid hand. 😝

@wiiware Well yeah it was cool for them to make a cheap kids toy 2DS but since you've been on here for 8 years you're probably old enough now to use a New 2DS XL. 😁

Considering Switch OLED is the only console why would'nt it get those numbers but repeating those sales figure with Switch 2 will be next to impossible since the Switch was such a innovator design and concept. Now everyone is copying this setup but will never reach Switch numbers nor can Switch 2 reach those numbers. There plenty of Switch OLED, v1, v2 and Lite that trying to beat those numbers would require everyone going and buying Switch 2 to change that ratio around. Which by any stretch of the imagination isn't going to happen. Those figure were Once in Lifetime and probably can't be repeated again.

I am truly sorry for the people that keep hopes that Switch will outsell PS2, that won't happen. PS2 didn't sell 155m, it sold over 160m as Sony stopped informing about sales before the console was dead, as the 9000x model was still selling in emerging markets where PS3 was very expensive.

So, 21 millions the last year of its long life? we need to be realistic. Many chances are it won't even surpass DS, but we shouldn't feel bad, Nintendo did a good marketing job this time. Let's hope Switch 2 is as good