Switch sales won't match the success of 2023's Zelda and Mario as the console nears the end of its lifecycle

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Sales of Nintendo Switch hardware and software have suffered a sharp decline as the console nears the end of its lifecycle.

In its latest earnings report, Nintendo reported a 46.3 percent decline in console sales year-over-year, while software sales fell 41.3 percent year-over-year.

However, this is largely due to the enormous success that Nintendo had in 2023. The release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie “energized” game sales, while the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom boosted both software and hardware sales.

Luigi's Mansion 2 HD – Nintendo Direct 9.14.2023Watch on YouTube

“There were no major factors in the first quarter of this fiscal year, and with Nintendo Switch now in its eighth year since its launch, unit sales of both hardware and software declined significantly year-over-year,” the report said.

However, there was still some success this quarter, with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD both reaching over one million sales: 1.76 million units and 1.19 million units, respectively. Princess Peach: Showtime!, meanwhile, has sold over 1.3 million units since its release in March.

Total Switch sales now stand at 143.42 million units, up from 141.32 million units in the previous report. Nintendo's forecast remains unchanged, with a forecast of 13.5 million units sold this financial year, making the Switch the best-selling console ever compared to the Nintendo DS's 154.02 million units.

Nintendo also reiterated its release schedule for the rest of the year, to help boost console sales and achieve that forecast.

  • Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club – August 29
  • The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – September 26
  • Super Mario Party Jamboree – October 17
  • Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood – November 7
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns HD – January 16, 2025

There is no mention of a successor to the Switch in this report, although Nintendo is expected to announce the Switch 2 before the end of its financial year on April 1, 2025.

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