Sales reports claim that third-party software sales for the latest Nintendo Switch 2 console are very low. One publisher says games have sold below their “lowest estimates,” while another reports strong hardware and accessory sales and poor game sales.
According to the report, 62% of Switch 2 physical game sales in the United States came from first-party titles, including Mario Kart World (game box) and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom. This 62% does exclude the Mario Kart World console bundle, which accounted for the majority of the console sales in the country and other countries around the world.
Apart from Cyberpunk 2077, most third-party games have “struggled” on the Switch 2. Both Legend of Zelda Switch 2 Edition games have managed to surpass all third-party game sales on the console except for Cyberpunk 2077. The best-selling launch games on the console include Mario Kart World in no. 1, Cyberpunk 2077 in no. 2, and The Legend of Zelda Switch 2 Edition games following.
In the UK, 86% of Switch 2 physical game sales were first-party games. However, in the UK, this stat is made up of the Mario Kart World console bundle. It is 48% if you exclude that bundle. Again, Cyberpunk 2077 was the best-selling third-party game on the console.
Of course, these low sales are expected. The Switch 2 is a pricey console, and with Mario Kart World’s asking price, gamers likely budgeted for the console and perhaps some of the paid upgrades for Zelda. There were also 12 free Switch 2 updates for older games, which offered an exciting reason to return to past games.
Keep in mind that there were virtually no reviews available for any Switch 2 games or hardware at launch. Selling a third-party game without much marketing, reviews, and content for gamers to rely on is a tough request. We also have the challenge of the Game-Key Card format, which has been highly criticised by gamers.
Not to mention that the third-party lineup on the Switch 2 mostly revolved around existing games on the market, which have been available on other platforms.
We don’t know if the Switch 2 third-party game sales will speed up in the coming months, but generally speaking, game software sales on the original Nintendo Switch weren’t great either. This is mainly because Switch owners also owned other consoles and hardware that ran these games better. So there was often no reason to buy them on the Switch.
Outside of the software, the Switch 2 is off to an incredible start. The console has surpassed the PS4 in launch-day sales and, according to Nintendo, managed to sell over 3 million units globally within 48 hours.
Source: The Game Business / Circana
