The Nintendo Switch will surpass its sales target for Nintendo's current fiscal year, said a Japanese analyst, though the prediction is not surprising given the hybrid console's popularity around the world.
With its online subscription service and several highly anticipated games coming soon, it will actually be more of a shock if the Nintendo Switch fails to meet its expected sales figures.
Nintendo Switch Will Likely Exceed Sales Target
Nintendo has long said that the Nintendo Switch sales target for the fiscal year from April 2018 to March 2019 is 20 million units. The figure looked very achievable for the Nintendo Switch after it broke a long-standing sales record held by the PlayStation 2 in Japan, and Nintendo last month expressed confidence that it will be able to sell enough Nintendo Switch units to reach that number.
Hideki Yasuda, an analyst for Osaka-based Ace Economic Research Institute, said that the Nintendo Switch will fare much better than 20 million units. He said that the Nintendo Switch will likely sell 25 million units in the company's current fiscal year, much more than what Nintendo expects and continuing its reversal of fortune since the failed Nintendo Wii U.
With the estimated sales number, total Nintendo Switch sales from the hybrid console's March 2017 launch to March 2019 is expected at 42.79 million units, compared to the estimated 37.79 million units by Nintendo.
Yasuda added estimates for revenue of 1.36 trillion yen, or about $12.30 billion, and for operating income of 330 billion yen, or about $2.98 billion, for the fiscal year that will end on March 2019. These figures are higher than Nintendo's own predictions.
What's Next For The Nintendo Switch?
To surpass Nintendo's sales target of 20 million units, the Nintendo Switch will simply have to continue what it has been doing since launch, as the hybrid console has disrupted the video game industry that was previously dominated by the PlayStation 4.
Nintendo Switch Online, the online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch, will finally launch in September, giving gamers even more reasons to buy the hybrid console. The service will function like PlayStation Plus for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox Live Gold for the Xbox One and will also offer access to a library of retro games.
Speaking of games, several highly anticipated titles are coming to the Nintendo Switch soon, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee!, and the newly confirmed Diablo III.
Given the excitement over Nintendo Switch Online and the hype over the upcoming games, the future of the Nintendo Switch looks even brighter than ever.
