Nintendo reports some impressive number of units sold in terms of its software, such as Splatoon 3 and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but it appears the company won't be able to hit its expected hardware sales targets. Supply shortage issues have been plaguing the gaming industry for a while now, and even though some companies like Xbox are reporting that they might be able to meet demands in the future, this isn't the case everywhere. Nintendo has been suffering from a semiconductor shortage since 2021, for example.
The Nintendo Switch has still proven to be an incredibly popular console. Back in May this year, the overall sales of the Nintendo Switch surpassed that of the PS4, proving that even if semiconductor issues are causing problems with supplies of the console, there are plenty of gamers who still want to pick one up. Beyond the sales of the console itself, the Nintendo Switch has managed to produce plenty of popular titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Nintendo's recently revealed financial report for Q2 2022 shows that the company is still managing to make titles that sell well. Splatoon 3's sales, for example, which were already proving to be impressive in the days following its release, are now nearing 8 million units sold. Other 2022 Nintendo games such as Nintendo Switch Sports and Kirby and the Forgotten Land have also shown some decent figures, selling over 6 and 2.5 million units respectively. However, despite the Switch console now reaching over 114 million units sold, with 6.68 million of those units being sold in the last three months, this marks a 19% decrease in hardware sales compared to that of Q2 2021.
This has forced Nintendo to change its forecast for how many Switch units it will be able to sell in 2022. Previously, the company had aimed for a goal of 21 million units, but has now cut that down to 19 million. Again, Nintendo is blaming this sales shortcoming on the semiconductor shortage, but it does state that there has been a "gradual improvement" in its supply lines. This means that future sales figures for the Switch might show an increase.
Despite the shortcomings of the company's hardware sales, Nintendo's software successes mean its sales are up by 1.6% compared to that of Q2 2021. It seems that next quarter could even be more successful for Nintendo in terms of its software sales, as it will report on the figures for big releases like Bayonetta 3 and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Already, the pre-orders for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are breaking records, so it's likely there will be some impressive figures from those games.
Source: Eurogamer