2017 was a good year for gaming, but no company had a better year than Nintendo. After launching the hotly anticipated (and often controversial) Nintendo Switch, Nintendo of American announced on Thursday that the system has become the “fastest-selling video game system of all time in the United States.”
Within 10 months, #NintendoSwitch has become the
fastest-selling video game system of all time in the US! pic.twitter.com/raWOMWTVBe— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 4, 2018
According to Nintendo’s internal sales figures, the Switch has “sold more than 4.8 million units” in the 10 months that it has been available. This breaks Nintendo’s 10 month sales record set in 2007 with the Nintendo Wii, which sold 4 million of its 101 million units.
Nintendo cites the success of Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the Switch’s wild success in the United States. In the US, Super Mario Odyssey has an attach rate of 60%, while Breath of the Wild, the winner of several Game of the Year awards, has a 55% attach rate. Reggie Fils-Aime, NOA COO and President had some glowing words about the success of Nintendo’s newest hybrid console:
Fans across the country have experienced the joy of playing their favorite games at home or on the go. Now that many more people have received Nintendo Switch systems for the holidays, we look forward to bringing them fun new surprises in 2018 and beyond.
In addition, 50% of US Switch owners own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and 20% own Splatoon 2.
What really sets the Switch apart is its third-party library, which according to Nintendo of America boasts “more than 300 games created by third-party developers.”
These include big-name brands like FIFA 18 from Electronic Arts, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Just Dance 2018 from Ubisoft, Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition from Mojang, L.A. Noire from Rockstar Games, NBA 2K18 from 2K Games, Sonic Mania from SEGA, Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers from Capcom, Rocket League from Psyonix and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and DOOM from Bethesda. Nintendo Switch has also received strong support from indie developers, with a steady stream of favorites like SteamWorld Dig 2 from Image & Form, Golf Story from Sidebar Games, Overcooked Special Edition from Team17 Digital Ltd and Stardew Valley from Chucklefish LTD.
Nintendo is slated to continue its streak of success behind such games as Kirby Star Allies, Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2, and “a new game starring Yoshi.” Nintendo is also pledging continued support from “major publishers such as EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Capcom, SEGA, Take 2 and Bethesda, plus a growing catalog of quality content from indie developers.”
As stated before, Nintendo’s successes in 2017 were plenty, as on top of this news, Nintendo also owned the Amazon Best-Sellers list for PC and Video Games, taking 7 of the top 10 spots. In addition, the Nintendo Switch outsold the PlayStation 4 when comparing the Japanese opening week sales for the two platforms, 329,152 to 309, 154 (28,998 unit difference.) Also, in the first 26 weeks of launch, the Switch sold 1,527,692 units. Compare that to PlayStation 4’s 665,760 in its opening twenty-six, it’s fair to say that Nintendo banking on the bustling mobile gaming culture in Japan also made sense in the United States as well.
Kudos to Nintendo for their success through 2017.
