Nintendo's hardware sales forecast has been revised downward again, with Switch console and game sales falling short of projections. For the first nine months of the fiscal year, dedicated game console sales dropped 31.7% year-over-year to ¥895.5 billion (approximately $5.7 billion) due to decreased Switch and software sales. Mobile and IP-related revenue also declined by 33.9% year-over-year to ¥49.7 billion (approximately $320 million), largely attributed to the tough comparison with 2023's highly successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This resulted in a 27.3% year-over-year decrease in gross profit to ¥565.5 billion (approximately $3.6 billion).
What's the Best Nintendo Switch Game?
Choose Your Champion
New duel
1ST
2ND
3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community’s!Continue playingSee results
Nintendo has again lowered its financial forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2025, the second consecutive revision. The projected Switch hardware sales have been reduced by 1.5 million units to 11 million, and software sales by 10 million to 150 million. While sales declines are anticipated for the eight-year-old Switch, the drop is steeper than Nintendo initially anticipated. Despite this, the Switch has surpassed 150 million units sold, a remarkable achievement. While surpassing the PlayStation 2's 160 million sales may be unlikely, the Nintendo DS's 154 million sales record is within reach.
Nintendo characterized Switch and software sales in Q3 2024 (ending December 31, 2024) as "stable considering the platform's age." Overall Switch family sales were down 30.6% year-over-year at 9.54 million units, with software sales declining 24.4% year-over-year to 123.98 million units. However, Nintendo highlighted strong sales of new titles: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (3.91 million), Super Mario Party Jamboree (6.17 million), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (5.38 million), and Nintendo Switch Sports (2.63 million) during the quarter. Mario & Luigi: Brothership reached 1.4 million units sold.
Super Mario Party Jamboree proved particularly successful, outpacing previous Mario Party titles on the Switch within its first 11 weeks of release (October 17, 2024).
Significantly, active Switch users reached a record high of 129 million annual players in 2024, indicating continued engagement despite the console's age. Nintendo noted that Switch unit sales decreased year-over-year, but holiday season sales in some weeks even exceeded those of the previous year.
AnswerSee ResultsGiven the financial report, investors eagerly await the Nintendo Switch 2's release. Nintendo mentioned upcoming Switch titles: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (March 20 release), and Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (scheduled for 2025). The Switch 2, announced on January 16th for a 2025 release, will be further detailed in a dedicated Direct on April 2nd, along with global hands-on events.
