Nintendo confirmed that the Switch console hit a huge milestone in sales at the end of 2023. The Nintendo Switch has now sold 139.36 million units since its launch back in March 2017. Even though the console is now in its eighth year on the market, Nintendo still managed to sell 6.9 million consoles during the 2023 holiday quarter.
Nintendo says the last quarter of 2023 did report lower sales than previous years but this is a given considering the current landscape. The company has openly acknowledged the dip in console sales over the past few months as the Switch lifespan comes to an end.
Looking at the figures, the Nintendo Switch is now the third-highest-selling console in gaming history. It sits under the Nintendo DS at 154 million and the PlayStation 2 at 155 million. It is unclear whether or not Nintendo will be able to sell another 15 million Switch consoles to surpass these two systems. Given the looming launch of the new console, the focus will likely shift towards that.
In terms of game sales, Nintendo also boasted quite a strong 2023. The company says Super Mario Bros. Wonder shipped 11.96 million units. Keep in mind that the game only launched in October of last year.
The Legend of Zelda; Tears of The Kingdom, on the other hand, surpassed 20.28 million units in 2023 making it Nintendo’s best-selling game of the year. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has also reached a new milestone. Since its launch, Nintendo has sold 60.58 million copies. The game is officially the best-selling Switch title.
All eyes are on Nintendo this year as the company gears up to release its next-generation console. Expected to be released in late 2024, the Switch successor has been deemed an “iteration” of the current Switch and will unlikely be an entirely new platform.
The unit is reportedly making use of NVIDIA DLSS AI upscaling to improve visuals and some developers have already begun work on games for the system.
Source: Nintendo Japan
