The new sales figure means that the Switch is now the third best-selling console in history, surpassed only by PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS.
Nintendo has released a financial report for nine months that ended December 31, 2022 in which it revealed that Nintendo Switch lifetime sales have reached 122.55 million units since its launch in 2017.
While the latest Nintendo console still hasn't reached the sales figures of Nintendo DS, which was released in 2004 and sold 154 million units, the 122.55 million figure means that the Switch has surpassed the PlayStation 4, which was reported to have sold 117.2 million units and is now the third best-selling console in history, trailing only the PlayStation 2 which sold over 155 million units and the DS.
Additionally, the company reported that 994.30 million copies of Nintendo Switch software have been sold since the console's launch, exceeding the total software sales of the Nintendo DS, which stood at 948 million copies since its launch.
Speaking of hardware sales, Nintendo noted that they declined by 21.3% year-on-year to 14.91 million units. The company attributed this to a shortage in supplies of semiconductors and other components, which impacted production until late summer. Software sales decreased too – by 4% to 172.11 million units, which, according to Nintendo, was partly impacted by lower hardware sales.
The company also detailed the sales of particular titles. It highlighted the "strong start" of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet – the two games sold a combined 20.61 million copies during the scrutinized period – as well as sales of other new titles such as Splatoon 3, which sold 10.13 million copies, and Nintendo Switch Sports, which sold 8.61 million copies.
Nintendo also noted that some older titles continued to show strong sales. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold 6.3 million units during the examined period, reaching a total of 52 million since its launch. Kirby and the Forgotten Land sold an additional 3.4 million copies bringing total sales to 6.12 million copies, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 2.9 million copies reaching lifetime sales of 41.59 million copies.
In its report, Nintendo stated that sales of its first-party software remain "at the highest levels seen since the launch of Nintendo Switch." The company also reported that "revenue related to Nintendo Switch Online increased," contributing to a 21.5% year-on-year increase in digital revenue, totaling ¥310 billion ($2.37 billion).
Overall financial results of the company slightly decreased compared to the previous year – its revenue during the period was down 1.9% and net profit dropped by 5.8%.
Nintendo has revised its full-year expectations for hardware and software sales, lowering its projection for hardware sales from 19 million units to 18 million units. It also reduced its estimate for game copy sales from 210 million to 205 million.
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