Nintendo Switch Reaches Over 55 Million Consoles Sold

The Nintendo Switch has now officially sold over 55 million consoles since its launch in March 2017, with over 21 million sales in the last financial year alone.

The figure headlined a strong end-of-financial-year report for Nintendo, detailing sales between April 2019 and the end of March 2020. During this period Nintendo sold 14.83 million Nintendo Switch units, and a further 6.19 million Switch Lite consoles. The overall figure was 24% higher than sales during the previous year. However, Nintendo has lowered expectations for the year going forward due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Switch sales rose across Nintendo's three primary regions, increasing the most in Japan with a 33% rise in year-on-year sales. Nintendo notes that the week of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' launch boosted Switch hardware sales significantly, with the reports stating that sales levels reached above those during the holiday season. In North America, Switch sales rose by 20% year-on-year, while European sales rose by 19% during the same period.

Nintendo have limited their forecast for Switch sales throughout its next financial year, largely due to unpredictable effects of COVID-19 in the coming months. Although it states that Switch production has largely returned to normal levels, the report cites concern with the retail and e-commerce supply routes globally. Nintendo also mentioned that software sales during the next year will likely decline, and that its plans for software releases might change in the coming months.