Nintendo Switch sales figures have been breaking records, allowing the video game system to claim the title as Nintendo's fastest-selling console.
After a report claimed that the Nintendo Switch outsold Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One last month, a new analysis shows that the hybrid console is enjoying the same success worldwide.
SuperData: 2.4 Million Nintendo Switch Units Sold Worldwide
According to research firm SuperData, 2.4 million units of the Nintendo Switch were sold for the hybrid console's March launch month.
The figure was estimated from SuperData's modeling and does not come from Nintendo itself, which means that it might not be completely accurate. Nevertheless, the sales estimate for the Nintendo Switch shows that the hybrid console is starting out much better than expected.
With the estimated sales figures for March, SuperData has also significantly increased its forecast for Nintendo Switch sales for full-year 2017. SuperData previously projected 5 million units sold for the hybrid console for the year, but now, the research firm has increased the expected 2017 sales of the Nintendo Switch to 7.2 million units.
"Nintendo is performing above expectations, which suggests that, at least for now, it is well on its way to restore investor confidence," said Joost van Dreunen, the CEO of SuperData. He added that the upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch are "looking strong," with Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to arrive soon to the hybrid console.
Nintendo Switch Outsold PlayStation 4, Xbox One
As previously reported from data released by industry-tracking firm NPD, the Nintendo Switch outsold the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in the United States in March, with 906,000 units sold for the hybrid console.
The figure is much lower than the 2.1 million units sold for the PlayStation 4 over its first 14 days and the over 2 million units sold for the Xbox One over its first 18 days. However, it should be noted that these consoles were released in the holiday season. The Nintendo Switch, in comparison, was released on March 3, which is not the traditional time for new console releases by video game companies.
Another notable figure from NPD is that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold 925,000 copies for the Nintendo Switch last month, which is higher than the number of units sold for the hybrid console for an attach rate of over 100 percent. This is said to be mainly due to gamers who purchased two copies of the game, one special edition for collecting and a normal version for playing.
Successful Launch For Nintendo Switch
Eric Bright, GameStop's senior director of merchandising, believes that the Nintendo Switch has the potential to do so, but another GameStop executive, COO Tony Bartel, expects the demand for the hybrid console to translate to supply problems for the rest of the year.
The supply crunch for the Nintendo Switch has been one of the most frustrating issues for the hybrid console, and we can only imagine how many more units would have already been sold for the device if Nintendo has been able to keep up with demand.
