Nintendo Switch just became the fastest-selling console, beating out Xbox One and PlayStation 4 thanks in part to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
According to Nintendo of America, since the Switch came out almost 21 months ago, it has gone on to sell 8.7 million units, topping initial sales of the other two consoles in the United States. Smash Bros. Ultimate has sold an impressive 3 million copies since launch. Ultimate also takes its place in history as being the quickest-selling game in the entire Smash series of games.
We are thrilled to see such a strong reaction from consumers in the second holiday season for Nintendo Switch, said Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Doug Bowser. We’re looking forward to delivering more excitement and smiles to our fans in the coming year and beyond.
Other games that are doing well for the Switch include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at 4 million copies sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe moving 5 million copies, and Super Mario Odyssey with about 4.7 million copies sold. The momentum of the Switch continues to be strong going into 2019 and is unlikely to stop anytime soon. Going into the holiday season, it will be interesting to see how many more copies are sold worldwide.
What’s Next For Nintendo
Also according to The NPD Group’s data, Nintendo cites itself as the top-selling software publisher in 2018. This year alone, Nintendo has had 26 games make it into the top ten, ten in the top five, three in the top three, and two landing in the number-one spot. When GameDaily spoke with Dr. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games about how Nintendo can expect to maintain this momentum with next-gen consoles from their competitors on the way, this is what he had to say:
There was a lot of concern about Nintendo’s release strategy in 2018, but keeping all blockbusters [Super Mario Party, Pokémon: Lets Go, Pikachu/Eevee, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate] for the end of the year seems to be working well. Nintendo is likely to dominate Christmas sales in 2018 in the US and elsewhere, as all big games for PS4 and Xbox are already out.
It is definitely a great strategy on Nintendo’s part to wait till near the end of the year to release their big titles and it’s paying off for them in a big way. Perhaps this will entice people who are still on the fence about Nintendo Switch to pick it up and see for themselves what all the hype is about.
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