Nintendo Switch has set a huge sales milestone in the UK. It turns out that the console had managed to outsell all other options in the country during the past year. Yes, you read that right. The Nintendo Switch outsold PS5, Xbox, PS4, and Xbox One in 2020 in the UK.
The PS4 and Xbox One did very well last year, even though COVID-19 caused various issues for game launches and the like. Launches of major games like THe Last of Us Part II went very well for the game consoles they released on. By comparison, Switch launches have had a fair amount of success as well. Biggest launches like Pokemon, Zelda, and Animal Crossing all managed to propel the portable console to new heights of sales.
In the UK in 2020, the Switch has taken around 50 percent of the market share of sales for game consoles. So with all of that going on amid the pandemic, Nintendo is definitely celebrating. The pandemic and price fluctuation had a pretty big impact on availability. This led to a mad dash for both legitimate users and scalpers to buy up consoles before they sold out again. Artificial scarcity can be a real motivator. Perhaps that’s why Nintendo relies on it so much, often to much criticism.
Software sales were a big part of the sales output for 2020. We can get a small glimpse into the sales in the past week in this area, if only to get an idea what people are playing. You will notice that some of the biggest games this week were Switch exclusives. The console continues to drive sales of its flagship franchises, even in re-releases and ports.
Generally, Switch software sales are also declining slower. Sales of physical games for the hardware fell around 25% week-on-week this week. PS4 game sales fell 48% and Xbox One games are down 53%.
| Last Week | This Week | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
| 1 | 2 | FIFA 21 |
| 4 | 3 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe |
| 7 | 4 | Assassin’s Creed Valhalla |
| 7 | 5 | Just Dance 2021 |
| 5 | 6 | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War |
| 10 | 7 | Minecraft (Switch) |
| 9 | 8 | Super Mario 3D All-Stars |
| 11 | 9 | Grand Theft Auto 5 |
| 20 | 10 | New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe |
