Nintendo dominated the video game industry in October, with the Nintendo Switch and Super Mario Odyssey topping the hardware and software sales charts.
Nintendo has reclaimed its spot on top of the industry, but the question is whether it can stay there as the year heads into the holiday shopping season.
Nintendo Switch vs PlayStation 4 vs Xbox One
According to NPD, the Nintendo Switch once again sold more units in the United States for the month of October compared to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This marks the fourth straight month that the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in the country, continuing its reign in the industry.
Also impressive is the fact that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One actually came in third and fourth in hardware sales for October. The console that took second place was the SNES Classic Edition, another Nintendo product that was launched with massive hype.
When sales of the Nintendo Switch and the SNES Classic Edition is combined with the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo said that its consoles accounted for more than two-thirds of all video game hardware sold in October. That is an amazing feat, especially coupled with the fact that Nintendo also topped the software side of the industry.
Super Mario Odyssey Sales
The success of the Nintendo Switch in October was supported by the launch of Super Mario Odyssey. The open-world adventure was able to claim the throne as the fastest-selling Super Mario game ever in the United States.
Super Mario Odyssey was also the best-selling game for the month of October, which is made even more impressive by the fact that it was only launched on Oct. 27. This meant that it was able to achieve the month's top sales figure in just five days in the market.
Can Nintendo Maintain Momentum?
Through the massive success of the Nintendo Switch and wildly popular games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo is once again on top of the video game industry.
The big question, meanwhile, is whether Nintendo will be able to maintain its momentum heading into the holiday shopping season.
The Nintendo Switch supply shortage has been viewed as a crucial factor that has actually held back the hybrid console's success. Nintendo, however, has promised that there will be enough Nintendo Switch units to go around in the holiday season, with Nintendo Switch production to ramp up to 30 million units in its next fiscal year.
The Nintendo Switch, however, was only launched in March, so it is not likely that there will be discounts for the hybrid console in Black Friday 2017. The popularity of the hybrid console will be severely tested, as PlayStation 4 deals and Xbox One deals are plenty in the upcoming holiday season.
