Nintendo does not believe that the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal has impacted sales of the original portable home console.
Such comments came in response to a shareholder who had questioned the reasoning behind the company’s decision to downwardly revise its full-year financial forecast – in which it lowered its hardware and software projections by 1.5 million units and 10 million units.
“Based on the sales situation in the third quarter (October-December 2024) and prospects for the remainder of the fiscal year, we changed our unit sales forecasts for Nintendo Switch hardware and software,” Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa began in his response.
“We also revised the assumed exchange rate. These and other factors led us to revise our full-year financial forecast. We have modified the unit sales forecasts, decreasing hardware and software projections by 1.5 million units and 10 million units respectively, mainly reflecting the sales trend during the holiday season. We changed our assumed exchange rate for the end of the fiscal year from 140 yen to 150 yen per U.S. dollar.
“Cumulative sales of Nintendo Switch have surpassed 150 million units, and it has developed into a platform with a robust install base. We were positioned again this fiscal year to release many appealing new titles, and this, coupled with factors such as our rich variety of evergreen titles and annual playing users in excess of 100 million were some of the reasons that led us to set high goals at the start of the fiscal year.
“During the holiday season, sales of new titles like Super Mario Party Jamboree were strong in every region, and in markets outside Japan, we had solid sales of hardware bundled with software titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Although sales were steady for a platform in its eighth year, they did not reach the targets we set at the start of the fiscal year.
“I wouldn’t say that there was no effect at all from people holding off on purchases in view of the upcoming launch of Nintendo Switch 2, but during the holiday season there were many new consumers who bought Nintendo Switch hardware worldwide, as well as many people buying replacement systems or additional systems.
“As for software, although unit sales are trending down year-on-year, we consider that the effect of decisions to postpone purchases was not large, as Nintendo Switch software will be playable on Nintendo Switch 2. Regarding the downward revision in our software sales volume forecast, I think one factor is that there was no single title like last fiscal year’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Super Mario Bros. Wonder that could give momentum to the overall business and create a buzz that gets lots of people involved and excited.”
You will be able learn more about the company’s next console in a Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 presentation, which will broadcast at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST on Wednesday 2 April.
Nintendo Switch 2 will be released worldwide in 2025, with a launch date yet to be confirmed.
