Spurred by the commercial flop of the Wii U, Nintendo took a conservative approach with their forecasts for the Nintendo Switch’s initial sales. This underestimation was evident as the console surpassed expectations by approximately 760,000 units within its first month. The Switch’s success story didn’t stop there—it went on to ship 15 million units by 2018 and achieved a peak with over 28 million units sold during the fiscal year 2021.
Now, rumors are buzzing that Nintendo is setting the stage for an even more impressive debut with the anticipated Switch 2. Word from industry insiders, specifically Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu via Bloomberg, suggests that the Switch 2 is projected to sell over 20 million units in its first year alone. It’s important to note that this prediction hasn’t been officially confirmed by Nintendo.
Should the Switch 2 hit these numbers, it won’t just beat its predecessors—the Wii and the initial Switch—but it would also surpass the first-year sales of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Zhu emphasizes that Nintendo has already fortressed its supply chain to brace for what they expect to be a surge of Switch 2 sales extending well into 2025 and early 2026. This approach suggests a confident setting where Nintendo anticipates capturing significant market enthusiasm and demand with their next big release.
