While millions of gamers are eagerly awaiting the next generation PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X powerhouse consoles, and the next generation Nvidia RTX 30 Series graphics cards, it is easy to forget just how successful Nintendo's comparatively low powered Switch continues to be. The portable device is selling so well that Nintendo has apparently increased production and sales targets for the second time in less than five months.
According to leaks reported by Bloomberg, Nintendo have increased orders to 25 million units by March 2021, the end of its financial year, following a previous increase to 22 million reported in April 2020. Both of these figures go well above Nintendo's financial year forecast of 19 million units. The need for extra Switch production is largely being linked to the huge success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, initial sales of which were boosted by people looking to play at home during the COVID-19 lock downs.
Production partners for the Nintendo Switch have previously focused on more lucrative smartphone contracts, but as these orders drop due to COVID-19 and the US-China trade issues, they will be expected to shift that capacity to the Switch. Short supply of components and the success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, has meant the three-year old portable system has been hard to find in shops across many countries, including the US and Japan, although Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently told shareholders he expects the situation to return to normal. Whether this will boost stock in time for demand over Christmas is unclear.
Despite only launching in March 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has already become the second best-selling title on the hybrid handheld and home system, selling 22.4 million copies. The life simulation game recently overtook Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which has sold 19.99 million copies, and is behind only Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has sold 26.74 million copies. Given Animal Crossing's continued popularity, it looks likely to take the number one spot at some point in the future. The success of the game is so strong that it has helped push the Nintendo Switch to the brink of passing the NES/Famicom in terms of lifetime sales.
While the Nintendo Switch is performing well, there are some worries about a comparatively quiet line-up of games for the rest of 2020. However the announcement of Pikmin 3 Deluxe for October will likely keep long-time Nintendo fans happy. Gamers can also expect the hype around Metroid Prime 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild 2 to start building over the next 12 months, although their release dates are as yet unknown.
Many gamers and analysts have been anticipating a more-powerful version of the Switch for some time, but the continued high sales suggest that Nintendo does not need to rush into a new hardware release just yet.
Nintendo Switch is available now.
Source: Bloomberg