Nintendo Switch 2 Unveiling Leaves Original Console’s Sales Unaffected

Nintendo is confident that the unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 hasn’t dampened the sales of the original handheld home console.

These remarks were in response to a shareholder’s inquiry about why the company decided to lower its annual financial predictions, which included cutting its hardware and software projections by 1.5 million and 10 million units, respectively.

“In light of our third-quarter sales data (October-December 2024) and what we anticipate for the rest of the fiscal year, we adjusted our sales forecasts for the Nintendo Switch hardware and software,” Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, explained.

“We also took the opportunity to adjust our assumed exchange rate. These adjustments, combined with other factors, led to us revising our full-year financial forecast. We decreased our hardware and software projections by 1.5 million and 10 million units, primarily due to observed sales trends during the holiday period. Our forecasted exchange rate for the end of the fiscal year went from 140 yen to 150 yen to the U.S. dollar.”

“The cumulative sales of the Nintendo Switch have already exceeded 150 million units, securing its place as a platform with a strong install base. We entered this fiscal year with plans to release numerous exciting new titles. This, along with the diverse array of timeless favorites and over 100 million regular players annually, was why we set ambitious targets at the start of the year.”

“During the holiday rush, titles like Super Mario Party Jamboree performed nicely across all regions. Outside of Japan, we saw good sales from hardware bundled with popular software like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. While sales were consistent for a console in its eighth year, they didn’t quite hit our initial targets for the fiscal year.”

“While I can’t say there was no impact at all from folks holding off on purchases due to the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, the holiday season still saw many new customers buying the Nintendo Switch worldwide, along with others purchasing replacement or additional systems.”

“As for software, even though we’re seeing a slight dip in unit sales compared to last year, we don’t think the delay in purchases was significant, given that Nintendo Switch games will be playable on the Nintendo Switch 2. The downward revision of our software sales forecast stems partly from a lack of a single blockbuster title like last year’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Super Mario Bros. Wonder to galvanize interest and excitement across the board.”

You’ll have a chance to get more details about the next console in the Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 presentation, which airs at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST on Wednesday, April 2nd.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch globally in 2025, though the exact date remains under wraps.