The Switch has been blazing pass one sales milestone after another in the two years it has been out on the market, and its rapid sales across the globe have resulted in one of Nintendo’s biggest successes in recent years. Currently standing at over 41 million units sold worldwide, the Switch is well on track to hit the 100 million mark, something that very few consoles – including Nintendo’s own Wii – have managed to do.
Morningstar Investment Services analyst Kazunori Ito feels the same way. Speaking to Bloomberg, Ito said that the Switch might end up having a longer life cycle than consoles traditionally do, thanks to its ability to function as both a handheld and a console.
“This is typically where sales begin to peak out, but it looks like the Switch may have a longer life cycle,” said Ito. “With a desktop console and a portable player in a single machine, Nintendo has a very effective platform for selling game software.”
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter also spoke to Bloomberg, saying that the Switch can sell 20 million units per year for the next three years, so getting to 100 million should be easy for it. “The Switch can sell 20 million units annually for the next three years,” he said. “So it should easily get to 100 million.”
Having crossed 41 million sales within two years is an impressive accomplishment for the Switch, while Nintendo’s steady support for the system with excellent exclusives titles seems to be doing the trick. Even now, games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Breath of the Wild sequel, Metroid Prime 4, and Bayonetta 3 are slated for the system, so there’s still plenty to look forward to.
Meanwhile, the Switch Lite is sure to boost the system’s sales, both in the short term and the long term. If the long-rumoured Switch Pro should launch next year as well, no doubt it’ll also have a positive impact on sales.