The Nintendo Switch has a knack for breaking sales records, whether that’s in terms of hardware or software, and it’s broken one once again. Nintendo announced in a press release that the Switch has sold a total of 8.7 million units in the US alone since its launch in March of last year, and in the process has become the fastest selling console of the current generation, outpacing the sales of the PS4 and the Xbox One in the same period following their respective releases.
“We are thrilled to see such a strong reaction from consumers in the second holiday season for Nintendo Switch,” said Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Doug Bowser in a statement. “We’re looking forward to delivering more excitement and smiles to our fans in the coming year and beyond.”
In the same press release, Nintendo have also announced a few other interesting figures. Their hardware unit and dollar sales in the US are the strongest in 2018 than they have been since 2011, while Nintendo eShop sales have grown 105 per cent since 2017.
In the same statement, Nintendo also confirmed that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had sold over 3 million units in the US within just 11 days of its launch, which is something that doubtless would have buoyed the Switch’s sales (not to mention the release of Pokemon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Eevee! last month). Given the fact that Nintendo has historically enjoyed the lion’s share of its hardware sales during the Holiday season, those figures are only bound to go even higher.
Nintendo has been adamant since the beginning of the year that it will sell 20 million units of the Switch worldwide within the financial year, a figure that looked unlikely but has started looking more possible with recent sales. Outside of the US, the Switch has been performing well in the UK too, while Japanese hardware sales also saw massive surges, first with Pokemon Let’s Go’s launch, and then with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate last week.
