Nintendo's hardware sales forecast has been revised downward again, with Switch console and game sales falling "below expectations." For the first nine months of the fiscal year, dedicated game console business revenue dropped 31.7% year-on-year to 895.5 billion yen (approximately $5.7 billion), reflecting decreased sales of both the Switch and its software. Mobile and IP-related income also saw a significant decline of 33.9% year-on-year, reaching 49.7 billion yen (approximately $320 million), primarily due to the tough comparison with 2023's highly successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This resulted in a 27.3% year-on-year decrease in gross profit to 565.5 billion yen (approximately $3.6 billion).
What's the Best Nintendo Switch Game?
Pick a winner
New duel
1ST
2ND
3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community’s!Continue playingSee results
Nintendo has again lowered its financial forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2025, for the second consecutive time. The company anticipates selling even fewer Switch consoles than previously projected, reducing its forecast by 1.5 million units to 11 million, and software sales by 10 million units to 150 million. While sales declines were expected for the eight-year-old Switch, the drop is steeper than Nintendo initially predicted. Despite this, the Switch has surpassed 150 million units sold, a remarkable achievement. While overtaking the PlayStation 2's 160 million sales to become the best-selling console of all time may be unlikely, surpassing the Nintendo DS's 154 million sales remains a possibility.
Nintendo characterized Switch and software sales in its third quarter (ending December 31, 2024) as "stable, given the platform's eighth year." Overall sales for the Switch family of systems were down 30.6% year-on-year at 9.54 million units, and software sales declined by 24.4% year-on-year to 123.98 million units. However, Nintendo highlighted strong sales of new titles: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (3.91 million), Super Mario Party Jamboree (6.17 million), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (5.38 million), and Nintendo Switch Sports (2.63 million) during the quarter. Mario & Luigi: Brothership also sold 1.4 million units.
Super Mario Party Jamboree performed particularly well, surpassing the sales pace of previous Mario Party titles on the Switch within its first 11 weeks of release (October 17, 2024).
Significantly, the number of active Switch players continues to grow, reaching 129 million annual playing users in 2024. This indicates continued engagement despite the console's age. Nintendo noted that while Switch unit sales declined year-on-year, sales during some weeks of the holiday season even exceeded those of the previous year.
AnswerSee ResultsGiven the financial report, investors will likely anticipate a swift release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo mentioned upcoming releases for the original Switch: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (March 20 release) and Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (scheduled for 2025). The company reaffirmed the Switch 2's 2025 release, previously announced on January 16th, and promised a dedicated Switch 2 Direct on April 2nd, along with hands-on events globally.
