Besides bringing enormous profits for the Japanese gaming giant Nintendo, Switch continues climbing on the list of the most popular consoles of all time.
According to data presented by Safe Betting Sites, Nintendo Switch outsold both PS3 and Xbox 360, with 90.5 million units in lifetime shipments.
Impressive Sales Figures After Fantastic 2020
Following the disappointing sales of its predecessor, the Wii U, the Switch was seen as the new hope for Nintendo in the ongoing battle with other console giants, PlayStation and Xbox. Acting as both portable and home console system and offering a seamless and unified experience switching between them, the console soon started to grow popularity in the gaming community.
The VGChartz data showed that in 2019, Nintendo sold 17.5 million Switch consoles worldwide and hit 49.8 million units in lifetime sales. However, last year witnessed an influx of new fans as the entire gaming industry exploded amid the lockdowns. Although COVID-19 caused some production and shipment delays of the Switch, this had only a limited impact on Nintendo’s business results.
Between January and December 2020, more than 27 million Switch consoles had been shipped worldwide, with its lifetime sales rising to 77 million units. Also, in the fiscal year ended March 31, the revenue generated from the Switch platform jumped by 37% YoY to $15.1bn, making close to 95% of Nintendo’s total revenues.
Switch sales continued rising in 2021, with another 13.5 million units shipped in the nine months of the year, pushing its lifetime sales closer to the Wii, which sold 101.6 million units in total. In addition, statistics show only the Game Boy and the Nintendo DS stand in the way of Switch becoming Nintendo’s best-selling console of all time.
Americas the Leading Market, Followed by Europe and Japan
The Switch sets itself apart from its competitors because it can be used as both a stationary console and a portable device, meaning gamers can play from the comfort of their own homes or on the go. However, another reason for its success is the popularity of Nintendo’s first-party titles. Blockbuster series like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon are exclusive to Nintendo, meaning that fans can only play them on Nintendo consoles.
According to the company’s official data, Nintendo sold over 230 million units of software for its Nintendo Switch gaming console in FY 2021, with its lifetime reaching 578 million units. More than 44% of that number or 102.4 million units were sold in the Americas as the leading market. Europe and Japan followed with 66 million, and 45 million sold units, respectively.
