While Nintendo might be gearing up for a big year with the launch of the Switch 2, it’s also still trying to sell as many original Switch consoles as it can.
The Switch has been out for eight years, and in that time, it’s sold 150 million units, which is an impressive number but not the one Nintendo is hoping for. The Nintendo DS sold 154 million units over its 12-year lifespan, so the gaming company is really hoping the Switch can break the foldable console’s record.
The Japanese gaming giant initially expected to sell 12.5 million Switch units in its fiscal 2025, but it’s now reduced that number to 11 million. This should still be enough units to help the Switch overtake the PS2 as the top-selling console of all time (160 million), but it will be a slow road to get there as most gamers wait for the newer Switch 2.
That being said, there are a lot of expectations that games like Metroid Prime 4 and Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be released on the new and old Switch consoles, so there is speculation that exciting games can still drive a few more console sales. However, since gamers know that the Switch 2 will be backwards compatible I also expect a lot of people to try and sell their existing Switch consoles leading up to the launch of the Switch 2, which will also slow down Nintendo’s official sales numbers.
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