There’s no doubt that Nintendo’s fortunes have done a full 180 compared to what they were just a few years ago thanks to the Switch. If the system continues at the pace it is, there’s a real chance it’ll break that much coveted 100 million units sold- and new revision is rumored to be coming soon, so that’s looking even likelier. No single place probably encapsulates that more than France, who apparently love the hell out of their Switches.
As reported by Lefigaro, the console has sold over 3 million copies in the territory. 2019 was the system’s best year, selling 1.25 millions units compared to 2018’s 1 million. According to their research, a staggering 11% of households in France apparently have access to a Switch (though that number is including households that have multiple versions of the system as well, so it may not be a total 1:1 comparison), and 30% of Switch users are estimated to be women.
It isn’t just hardware sales that are this impressive, either. In 2019, Pokémon Sword and Shield sold 650,000 copies, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold 502,000, and Luigi’s Mansion 3 sold 392,000. Even the fitness-based Ring Fit sold 120,000, which would be even higher if the game was still in stock in the country.
France has always been a pretty good area for Nintendo, but the boom in sales also goes to show just how major a success the Switch has been for the company. And as of right now, it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.