Since hitting store shelves, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been a runaway success. However, a troubling commercial trend has emerged: hardware shipments have declined quarter-over-quarter. The slowdown is largely attributed to price hikes triggered by global memory shortages that hit the tech industry in September.
Nintendo’s latest financial report confirmed the drop, showing lower hardware sales for the preceding quarter. Despite the dip, executive leadership remains optimistic that sales will bounce back during the holiday shopping season, driven by high demand for the remastered The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Addressing investor concerns, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged the market headwind while offering reassurance to cost-conscious Nintendo consumers.
Nintendo Has Shipped 26 Million Units But Sales Have Slowed
While overall business operations remain robust, Nintendo’s report highlights a few warning signs. The Switch 2 has sold 26.35 million units worldwide, with 2.67 million shipped during the quarter ending September 30. Software sales for the platform reached 15.04 million units over the same period.
For comparison, the original Nintendo Switch reached 157.20 million total units sold and moved 31.92 million software units last quarter.
As a result, Nintendo reported a 16% drop in operating profit alongside a 15% decline in total sales. Switch 2 hardware shipments fell 41% compared to the same quarter last fiscal year, when the company moved 3.82 million systems.
Market analysts attribute the lower volume directly to September’s price increase, which was spurred by component cost spikes and memory supply constraints. Investors expect the debut of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to help reverse this trend heading into the peak holiday season.
Despite the quarterly dip, the Switch 2 continues to outperform the original Switch’s sales trajectory over the same post-launch timeframe, keeping it among the fastest-selling consoles in Nintendo history, and company shares traded up 8.13% following the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s release.
Nintendo Rules Out Switch 2 Price Hikes
During the earnings call, Furukawa directly addressed rising consumer concerns over pricing. With memory supply constraints expected to persist across the tech sector, fans feared further price adjustments might be on the horizon.
Furukawa clarified that Nintendo currently holds sufficient inventory to hit its targets for the fiscal year, maintaining its goal of 16.5 million Switch 2 units sold before March 2027.
Crucially, Nintendo has no plans for further price increases in the near term. While Furukawa cautioned that rapidly shifting market conditions in the tech sector require flexibility, he assured consumers that retail prices will remain steady for the foreseeable future.
Top-Selling Titles Across Switch 2 and Switch Platforms
Nintendo also updated its official lifetime software charts. Cumulative software sales stand at 73.21 million titles for the Switch 2 and an impressive 1.59 billion titles for the original Switch.
New additions climbing the software charts include Splatoon Riders, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and a new entry in the Star Fox franchise.
- Mario Kart World — 16.48M
- Donkey Kong Bananza — 5.05M
- Pokémon Legends: Z-A (Switch 2 Edition) — 4.04M
- Pokémon Pokopia — 4.04M
- Splatoon Riders — 2.42M
- Kirby Air Riders — 1.94M
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave — 1.34M
- Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch 2 Edition) — 1.2M
- Star Fox — 1.17M
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — 72M
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — 50.63M
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — 38.50M
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — 34.28M
- Super Mario Odyssey — 31.06M
- Pokémon Scarlet & Pokémon Violet — 28.66M
- Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield — 27.36M
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — 22.90M
- Super Mario Party — 21.39M
- New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe — 19.22M
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream — 8.83M
- Rhythm Heaven Groove — 2.89M
For more news on Nintendo Switch 2, click here.
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