Nintendo Shipped 2.74 Million Switch Units in Its First Month Total beats its pre-launch goal while 3DS continues to sell well thanks to new Pokémon games.
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Before the Switch launched, Nintendo set a target of shipping 2 million of the hybrid consoles during its first month on sale. We've already heard about Zelda: Breath of the Wild selling more copies on Switch than there are Switch, but now we know that Nintendo easily beat its own target, shipping 2.74 million Switch consoles in its first month.
Breath of the Wild continues to outpace the hardware, racking up 2.76 million copies sold. This is surely a mix of gamers buying more than one copy (standard and collector's edition), and those who haven't been able to get a Switch yet buying Zelda anyway in preparation. If you add in the Wii U version, the total increases to 3.84 million copies.
The good news for Nintendo doesn't end there. According to Eurogamer, the 3DS is continuing to sell well. The 2016 sales report shows 7.27 million 3DS sales, taking the lifetime total to 66 million. Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon played a big part in shifting new hardware, selling 15.44 million copies.
Considering the Wii U was never really very popular, it's impressive to find it still managed to sell 760,000 units last year. Its lifetime sales now sit at 13.56 million, which is easily going to be surpassed by Switch at this rate. Nintendo is predicting another 10 million Switch will sell over the next 12 months, taking the total close to 13 million. That's lower than the production doubling estimate of 18 million made in March.
Surprisingly good sales of the 3DS last year make it clear Nintendo won't be ending support for its handheld platform any time soon. In fact, the 3DS is expected to sell another 6 million units over the next year. If the rumors of a Mini Switch arriving in 2019 are true, then Nintendo will likely continue supporting the 3DS until then.
