Video games! They’re still selling. And the folks at Nintendo are still making them. However, businesspeople tend to like to keep track of the games that they’re selling, and so the company has released a mid-fiscal year report (fiscal years begin in April and end the following March, which I have never understood). Here’s a breakdown of all the pertinent info:
- The Nintendo Switch sold 6.68 million hardware units the past two quarters, to arrive at a total of 114.33 million. It’s less than 3 million away from surpassing the PlayStation 4’s lifetime sales and only about 4 million from surpassing the Game Boy/Game Boy Color.
- Hardware sales declined slightly year on year, with Nintendo citing the ongoing semiconductor shortage as a factor. They’ve also lowered their projected units sold for the rest of the year, though the modified forecast actually showed an increase in projected sales revenue (mostly due to a weak yen).
- Digital sales accounted for 51% of Nintendo’s software sales the past two quarters. This included DLC and subscriptions, so people are still more likely to buy Nintendo games physically, but the digital marketplace for them is robust.
- Top software seller for Q1-Q2 was (unsurprisingly) Splatoon 3, which sold 7.9 million units in the roughly three weeks it was available before the report’s data was collected. While certainly impressive, and sure to be boosted by the ensuing holiday season, it still has quite a ways to go before beating Splatoon 2’s 13.3 million units sold.
- Second was Nintendo Switch Sports, which sold a very impressive 6.15 million units. While a far cry from the sheer global phenomena of its predecessor (Wii Sports sold 82.9 million units, it’s literally the fourth best-selling game ever), that doesn’t diminish its success. We’ll have to see if the planned updates (and holiday sales) propel it further.
- Third is Mario Kart 8, racking up 3.07 million to reach a total of 48.41 million lifetime, still far and away the best-selling Switch title (though Animal Crossing is within striking distance).
- Fourth is Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which is now the best-selling title in series history.
- Mario Strikers Battle League sold 2.17 million units, healthy going out the gate. The last title, the Wii’s Mario Strikers Charged, is estimated to have sold about 2.6 million lifetime, so Battle League could very well overcome that.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 debuted with 1.72 million units sold, already beating out Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (1.68 million). Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has sold an estimated 2.44 million in five years, and took about a year and a half to reach 3’s current sales mark, so it will likely be surpassed.
Lots of figures and words here, but the bottom line is — Nintendo is making money, they’re gonna continue making money, video games are coming out, play them if you want. Stay tuned for more thrilling financial report info in the future.
Source: Nintendo Financial Report for 2nd Quarter of Fiscal Year Ending March 2023
Source: Nintendo Dedicated Video Game Sales Units
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
