Nintendo has announced that it has shipped over 15 million Switch and Switch Lite units in the two years since the original system launched. This impressive number is due to a lot of moving parts and variables, and it shows that despite some pretty daunting missteps in previous years, the Big N still has plenty of staying power left.
With the launch of the Switch Lite, a much more affordable version of that concept, the appeal of portable gaming has only grown at a steady pace. It’s certainly been helped by the meteoric rise of mobile gaming. As the quality of small-scale games continues to balloon, resulting in more and more people opting for portable options to play these great games, Nintendo has found themselves in a pretty wonderful crossroads between console generations and mobile gaming. This strategy was even echoed by the Nintendo president at one point, and they look to have nailed it based on these sales figures.
Nintendo pretty much knew that they had lightning in a bottle too. When the console was announced, featuring multiple modes of play and a unique control style, the company was very excited. Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said that, “We will introduce the world to new experiences made possible by the unique characteristics of the Nintendo Switch hardware and the Joy-Con.” And they did just that. Major smash-hits like Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Smash Bros Ultimate helped buoy the growing catalogue of minor titles that offered unique and very interesting niche experiences.
The Switch crossed the total 15 million units sold sometime in 2018, getting pretty close by the end of January that year. Since then, global sales of hardware have only grown. According to internal data from Nintendo. Through September, Nintendo Switch sales in North America were up more than 20% year to date. In the U.S. as a market, the console has been the best-seller ten months in a row.