Nintendo finally addressed the buzz around the Nintendo Switch 2's international sales performance during its latest quarterly earnings call. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa admitted that hardware sales for the Switch 2 outside of Japan were "slightly below the company's initial expectations." However, he quickly pointed out that the console absolutely crushed it in its home market, performing significantly better than forecast, and that the overall global sales target remains unchanged.
"Overseas sales performance was a bit under what we expected, while domestic hardware sales in Japan blew past our initial assumptions," Furukawa told shareholders. He clarified that while current sales forecasts are holding steady, the performance across different regions and products has diverged from the assumptions made during the Q2 earnings report.
Market data paints a clearer picture: Switch 2 sales in the US during the 2025 holiday season dipped roughly 35% compared to the original Switch's launch period in 2017. The UK market lagged by about 16%. Even in Japan, holiday sales for the Switch 2 in its final nine weeks of the year were down approximately 5.5% compared to the original Switch's debut. France saw its full-year sales reportedly drop by over 30% against its predecessor.
Despite these figures, Nintendo emphasized that the Switch 2's cumulative sales in Japan have still outpaced the original Switch's first year on the market, achieving this feat in a shorter sales window. Furukawa attributed Japan's stellar performance to the powerful boost from specific first-party titles.
"With the initial hype for the Switch 2 still going strong, combined with holiday releases like 'Pokémon Legends Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition' and 'Kirby Air Riders,' we saw a higher conversion rate of existing Switch players to Switch 2 in Japan compared to overseas markets," Furukawa stated.
Analysts believe this indirectly explains the weaker performance of the Switch 2 in international markets. Anonymous Western Nintendo insiders previously suggested that a lack of flagship first-party titles during the holiday season was a major drag on overseas sales. In contrast, the highly anticipated "Metroid Prime 4: Beyond" didn't provide a significant boost in its initial sales, barely even getting a mention in Nintendo's latest earnings report.
Even with these bumps, the Switch 2 remains Nintendo's fastest-selling console in its initial launch period. However, its overseas growth clearly needs a stronger game lineup to truly take off. Everyone's watching to see if Nintendo can drop more compelling first-party titles in 2026, especially for the crucial year-end holiday season, to close the gap with the original Switch in international markets.
Note: Financial figures and earnings forecasts should be confirmed through the company’s official announcements.
via： IGN