Japanese gaming giant Nintendo has passed another milestone as its Switch family of consoles (which includes the original Switch, first released in 2017, and the new Switch Lite, which launched this year) has sold over 15 million units in North America, NPD Group reports.
Switch sales have seen a 20 percent increase this year across the continent, where the original Switch has remained atop the list of best-selling gaming consoles for 10 consecutive months.
The sales of Switch consoles are driven by successful exclusive titles on the platform, including 2017 hits such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, as well as recent titles such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. There have been 14 Nintendo Switch games that have sold more than one million copies in North America, while four (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) have sold more than six million.
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Additionally, Nintendo’s two biggest competitors in the console market, Sony and Microsoft, are reaching the end of their current console life cycle as the two companies prepare for the launches of PlayStation 5 and Project Scarlett, respectively, ahead of the 2020 holiday season.
“As we enter our third holiday season, Nintendo Switch is creating smiles and enjoying broad appeal, with more than 15 million consumers across North America playing their favorite games whenever and wherever they like,” said Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser. “And this holiday, we are bringing Nintendo Switch owners even more fresh and unique entertainment experiences, like Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020, adding to the system’s large and diverse library of games.”
As of July, the Nintendo Switch had sold over 36 million consoles worldwide. During an earnings report in April, the company adjusted its expectations for the system, aiming for 18 million units sold by the end of the fiscal year in March 2020.
