This year, gamers from around the world witnessed as Nintendo dusted off the cobwebs and returned to its former glory when it launched the Switch. The new hybrid console progressively amassed huge sales number for the Japanese company and shows no signs of halting anytime soon. In fact, demand for the new game system is so high that retailers both online and physical struggle to restock the device. Some of the biggest games that received rave reviews like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and the recently released “Super Mario Odyssey,” are both console exclusives.
In order to match the increased demand this holiday season, Nintendo has reportedly boosted the production of more units.
Nintendo Switch fiscal year targets within reach
With its niche gimmick of being able to play games on the TV while docked like a console and seamlessly switching to its portable mode when undocked, the Switch has apparently endeared itself with a lot of gamers. Moreover, upcoming exclusive games from Nintendo like a new “Pokemon” title, a rumored new “Smash Bros” installment, and “Metroid Prime 4” are some of the most anticipated first-party software headed to Nintendo’s hybrid console. These are expected to push sales of the system to hopefully meet the 14 million unit target set by the company for the fiscal year ending in March 2018.
Furthermore, Fortune reports that Nintendo’s suppliers have hinted that it plans to go even further in the next fiscal year. Speculation indicates a production target of 25 to 30 million units from April 2018 to March 2019. Depending on the sales figures generated this holiday season, the gaming firm might move those numbers even higher.
Comparison with its predecessor
The current target set by the company is poised to overtake the overall sales of their previous game system, the Wii U. Lackluster sales and poor third-party support ultimately led to its failure. In its lifetime, it somehow managed to move only 13.56 million sales based on their most recent numbers.
If the system also manages to meet its next targets for the next fiscal year, it will have surpassed the total lifetime sales of the N64.
Nintendo’s current sales record belongs to the Wii, which managed to move around 101.63 million units. However, most Consumers are still pessimistic regarding the company’s promise of increased Switch production. Just like last year, they are still struggling to meet the demand for their other products like the SNES Classic Edition and NES Classic Edition. It looks like the shortages are still foreseen until the company enters the next fiscal year of business.
