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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling Nintendo console in European history

Soundwave on 08 March 2017

The Wii, 3DS, Wii U, and Switch launches are all fairly consistent, they're all basically within 80-90% of each other.

Where things go from here of course will be far more interesting.



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fluky-nintendy on 08 March 2017

Maybe it means the charts will be updated now that a Nintendo console is doing good. But I wont believe until I see those numbers.



...Let the Sony Domination continue with the PS4...
SWORDF1SH on 08 March 2017
kopstudent89 said:
This is great! So UK seems particularly poor compared to other regions. Congrats Nintendo!

Yeah I think the UK data threw a few people. Launch sales look extremely positive now. I've said this thing will be Wii level of success but I didn't expect Switch to beat Wii's launch numbers. 

Now we will have to see how the legs are. Will it stay strong or will it die down until the holiday? I think it needs one holiday to truly launch its sales potential. I'm expecting a massive Christmas for this thing.



Miyamotoo on 08 March 2017
bonzobanana said:
Lets not get ahead of ourselves here. We need to see how the console sells in the first 2 months to get some indicator of long term success. Long before it launched those who questioned its viability still said it would have a great launch. Nothing has changed from that we need to see how sales are after the first 5 million consoles to see if its just sold to Nintendo's core audience or its appealing to a wider audience. Also those early adopters will now be important in giving their views on the console, will they be happy with it or unhappy. Some of the early adopters of wii u rejected it and actually sold it on shortly after buying. Also I remember seeing many critical comments about wii u demonstration units in store because of poor graphics etc. When you pre-order a console you are clearly making a decision without even seeing the product but many won't buy until they have seen and sampled the product which is a different process. Pricing also becomes more critical for finding a wider audience.

I guess the point is, is there that cliff edge approaching like wii u where sales dropped to very low levels shortly after launch?

Actually we need to see end of year to see indicator of long term success, for new Switch has great start and actual best start in history of Nintendo on US and Europe market.



bananaking21 on 08 March 2017

very good start for the console it seems. i expect a PR about its world wide sales soon. now the tough part, holding up sales and its legs.



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Soundwave on 08 March 2017
Miyamotoo said:
bonzobanana said:
Lets not get ahead of ourselves here. We need to see how the console sells in the first 2 months to get some indicator of long term success. Long before it launched those who questioned its viability still said it would have a great launch. Nothing has changed from that we need to see how sales are after the first 5 million consoles to see if its just sold to Nintendo's core audience or its appealing to a wider audience. Also those early adopters will now be important in giving their views on the console, will they be happy with it or unhappy. Some of the early adopters of wii u rejected it and actually sold it on shortly after buying. Also I remember seeing many critical comments about wii u demonstration units in store because of poor graphics etc. When you pre-order a console you are clearly making a decision without even seeing the product but many won't buy until they have seen and sampled the product which is a different process. Pricing also becomes more critical for finding a wider audience.

I guess the point is, is there that cliff edge approaching like wii u where sales dropped to very low levels shortly after launch?

Actually we need to see end of year to see indicator of long term success, for new Switch has great start and actual best start in history of Nintendo on US and Europe market.

Not really. 

Almost every system that's been successful starts showing strong indications of success (a healthy baseline) by month 4/5/6. Usually earlier than that to be honest. 

If you haven't gained traction by then and your fanbase is parroting the "wait until game XYZ launches!" ... odds are you are in big, big trouble. 



bonzobanana on 08 March 2017

I just had a quick look around for stock in the UK which would be an indicator of a poor launch but can find no stock. It's all pre-orders only. I might be remembering wrongly but I'm sure there was still some wii u stock at launch time but maybe that was just the first day or 2 not 5 days after launch and of course that would depend on how much stock was actually available. Doesn't seem like the uk got a lot of stock.

I wonder how many people are waiting for the second wave of stock.



zorg1000 on 08 March 2017
bananaking21 said:
very good start for the console it seems. i expect a PR about its world wide sales soon. now the tough part, holding up sales and its legs.

Yep, a good start doesn't mean anything in the long term. If I recall correctly, Dreamcast set a record for best launch and was discontinued like 2 years later.

I think Switch will sell decently in the coming months, it has an overall appealing concept, strong marketing/advertising & a steady flow of new releases which are all things that 3DS & Wii U lacked in the months following launch so it's chances of maintaining momentum are far greater.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

kopstudent89 on 08 March 2017
SWORDF1SH said:
kopstudent89 said:
This is great! So UK seems particularly poor compared to other regions. Congrats Nintendo!

Yeah I think the UK data threw a few people. Launch sales look extremely positive now. I've said this thing will be Wii level of success but I didn't expect Switch to beat Wii's launch numbers. 

Now we will have to see how the legs are. Will it stay strong or will it die down until the holiday? I think it needs one holiday to truly launch its sales potential. I'm expecting a massive Christmas for this thing.

I think it will be more consistent than streaky as the Wii was, though the first 2 years were Godly for the Wii and nothing will ever match that. 

MK8, Splatoon, Xenoblade, FE Warriors, ARMS and Odyssey is an excellent lineup for the next 9 months imo. Think MK8 is genius seeing as how many people missed out on the Wii U and you get the full DLC package. Even though I have it on the Wii U I might actually pick it up again just cause it's an amazing offer and I never got the DLC's.

They've put out a consistent first party lineup that third parties need to fill out and I think seeing these numbers they'll be encouraged to push their games out quicker now.



Soundwave on 08 March 2017
kopstudent89 said:
SWORDF1SH said:

Yeah I think the UK data threw a few people. Launch sales look extremely positive now. I've said this thing will be Wii level of success but I didn't expect Switch to beat Wii's launch numbers. 

Now we will have to see how the legs are. Will it stay strong or will it die down until the holiday? I think it needs one holiday to truly launch its sales potential. I'm expecting a massive Christmas for this thing.

I think it will be more consistent than streaky as the Wii was, though the first 2 years were Godly for the Wii and nothing will ever match that. 

MK8, Splatoon, Xenoblade, FE Warriors, ARMS and Odyssey is an excellent lineup for the next 9 months imo. Think MK8 is genius seeing as how many people missed out on the Wii U and you get the full DLC package. Even though I have it on the Wii U I might actually pick it up again just cause it's an amazing offer and I never got the DLC's.

They've put out a consistent first party lineup that third parties need to fill out and I think seeing these numbers they'll be encouraged to push their games out quicker now.

MK8 sold 8 million copies on the Wii U though, the attach rate was insane ... so I'm not sure how much of a system seller that will be. It will do well obviously, but I think some impact from it could be a bit blunted.