The Nintendo Switch sales target for next year is said to be 20 million units, a figure that looks very possible for the hybrid console after its massive success since its March 2017 launch.
The Nintendo Switch carries a lot of momentum heading into 2018, and it received another boost after breaking a sales record held by the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
Nintendo Switch Breaks PlayStation 2 Sales Record In Japan
Data from Media Create revealed that the Nintendo Switch has broken a long-standing video game console sales record in Japan that was previously held by the PlayStation 2.
According to the data, the Nintendo Switch has sold more units than the PlayStation 2 in the first 10 months after their respective early March launch dates in Japan.
There were about 524,000 Nintendo Switch units sold in March 2017, an impressive number but eclipsed by the about 885,000 PlayStation 2 units sold in March 2000. However, while PlayStation 2 sales declined over the rest of 2000, Nintendo Switch sales held steady and then started picking up toward the end of the year. At the end of 2000, about 3 million PlayStation 2 units were sold in Japan, a record that has now been beaten with almost 3.3 million Nintendo Switch units sold in 2017.
The PlayStation 2, however, still holds the distinction as the best-selling video game console in history, with 155 million units sold worldwide. The Nintendo Switch may have taken its Japanese sales record, but it is still a long way away from challenging the all-time PlayStation 2 sales record.
Nintendo Switch Sales Target For Fiscal Year 2018: 20 Million Units
Claiming the title as the fastest-selling console in its home country of Japan gives an additional boost to the Nintendo Switch's momentum heading into 2018.
It appears that the hybrid console will need all the momentum boosts that it can get, though, as Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima revealed that the company is targeting sales of 20 million Switch units for its fiscal year 2018, which will run from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019.
The number looks like a difficult goal, but it is certainly possible for the Nintendo Switch. There were 10 million units of the hybrid console sold worldwide over the first nine months since its launch, keeping it on track for the company's estimate of 14 million units sold by the end of fiscal year 2017.
The Nintendo Switch is facing certain issues, including delayed 64 GB game cards and the very late launch of Nintendo Switch Online. However, these problems will be forgotten if Nintendo continues to release amazing games for the hybrid console, such as the next installments for Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon.
