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Nintendo expects to flog 24 million Switches

by on05 November 2020


COVID-19 pandemic drives a gaming boom

Nintendo has announced that it will sell 24 million of its Switch games consoles in the year ending March 2021, up from a forecast of 19 million.

The figure is cautious, given that the COVID-19 pandemic has been driving a gaming boom.

The Kyoto-based gaming outfit hiked its operating profit forecast by 50 percent to $4.3 billion as titles such as “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” bring new consumers to the Switch in its fourth year on the market.

Operating profit for July-September alone more than doubled from the same period a year earlier.

Home of the enduring “Super Mario” franchise, Nintendo had been reluctant to increase forecasts despite strong sales of its Switch system, saying the boost from consumers stuck at home could prove transitory.

The resolution of Switch production issues that affected the company earlier in the year drove sales, prompting the forecast revision, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa told reporters during an earnings briefing.

Nintendo said it sold 12.5 million Switch devices in the first half of the financial year, comprising 8.4 million hybrid home-portable Switch consoles and 4.2 million portable-only Switch Lite devices.

The Switch has continued to sell well into October, Furukawa said.

Sony Corp and Microsoft Corp will release next-generation consoles next week, adding to competition for the Switch.

Last modified on 05 November 2020
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