Nintendo profit falls 55% as sales of its aging Switch console plunge

On Friday, Nintendo filed its fiscal first-quarter results with a headline 55% decline in profit, while revenue figures also plunged. 

The Japanese corporation also reported a net sales loss of 46.5% year-on-year, as the renowned Switch device appears firmly on the decline as it passes 143 million units sold. 

Back in May, Nintendo reported it had sold 141.32 million Switch consoles, followed up by 2.1 million items shipped from April to June. That means a 46.3% reverse, based on the sales for the same period last year. Similarly, the same pattern is visible for Nintendo Switch games, with a drop of 41.3% in sales year-on-year.

Despite the downward trajectory of the Switch, it remains an iconic Nintendo device and still comfortably retains its position as the company’s second-biggest-selling device of all time. 

The number one spot is held by the Nintendo DS, with approximately 154 million sales, over a lifespan stretching 2004 to 2020.

First launched in 2017, the Switch is still expected to shift 13.5 million units in the current period and that is an estimate Nintendo isn’t budging from, regardless of the disappointing first-quarter outcome.

Nintendo Switch successor expected soon

The strength and past performance of the Switch is reflected in its sales record against competitors, with only Sony’s PlayStation 2 beating it with around 155 to 160 million units sold during its tenure.

Investors are said to be eagerly looking toward a successor device, with the company expecting a reveal to materialize by the end of the current fiscal year, ending in March 2025. 

To date, Nintendo has not released any information on the new device and there will be no giveaways detailed at Gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Germany as the Japanese company has snubbed the event this year. Given the timescales involved, we should see some official movement if a successor is to be launched early next year.

Image credit: Via Ideogram

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