Nintendo is killing it in the console business in 2021. Despite a ton of scarcity and a fair amount of scalping, gamers are getting their hands on the console in record numbers. The gaming giant has been pushing a ton of new and classic games onto the console, and the approach has worked wonders. The NPD Group, which reports on U.S. video game sales on a monthly basis, reported that the Switch sold approximately 1.13 million units last month, according to a press release. And the biggest shocker that isn’t too shocking is that nearly half of that total was on one day. Nintendo Switch sales on Black Friday 2021 topped out over 550,000 units.
Over the last three years, Nintendo Switch sales have topped the charts. The portable console has consistently outsold the Sony and Microsoft offerings in 35 out of 36 previous months. Custom and redone consoles have also been a huge part of this success. The new Switch OLED, offering better visual clarity and improved battery life, has likely contributed a fair bit since its launch in October.
The company has also been trying to appeal to a more general audience, albeit slowly. Gamers are getting more apps on Switch, like a dedicated Twitch viewing app.
Doug Bowser, President of Nintendo of America, said that the console “continues to see a strong demand” that they project to persist. The popularity of mobile gaming is bigger than it has ever been worldwide.
“With a wide-ranging library of games and three options to choose from between Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, the Nintendo Switch family of systems offers something for everyone this holiday season,” said Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser. “As we head into 2022 and the sixth year of Nintendo Switch, the system continues to see strong demand. We look forward to even more people adding Nintendo Switch to their households!”
But, it’s important to note that these sales are worse than November last year, likely owing to reduced supply. That is further underscored by the fact that previous console sales records for the Wii U and other consoles eclipsed the combined volume of Switch, Xbox Series and PS5 in Nov. 2021. So in essence, supply constraints have negatively impacted all of the sales volumes for all three consoles this year.
