Nintendo Switch Is Now China's Best-Selling Console

One million Nintendo Switch systems have shipped in China, making it the best-selling console in the country. The news was reported by Reuters, and the figure comes from Chinese company Tencent Holdings, Ltd. Tencent handles distribution of the system in the region. While Nintendo Switch has been available in North America since 2017, the system launched in China in December 2019. According to Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners, that figure also puts Nintendo Switch ahead of sales of PS4 and Xbox One combined in the region during that same period. That stat is in keeping with sales in Europe, where Nintendo Switch matched all PlayStation and Xbox consoles combined last year.

The achievement in China is all the more impressive considering that Tencent has released very few games for the console, with major titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons currently unavailable. Games produced by Tencent in the Chinese market cannot be played in other territories, but Chinese fans can import games from other territories and play them on their Switch consoles. This has already resulted in one region exclusive, Ubisoft's Rabbids Adventure Party.

It's hard to overstate what a success Switch has proven to be for Nintendo. Following the failure of Wii U, most gamers could be forgiven for assuming Switch might also struggle to find an audience. That has not proven to be the case, and Switch has proven dominant worldwide.

Where Nintendo goes from here, however, is anyone's guess! The company has been quiet about what fans can expect to see in 2021. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury has been announced for February, but the company has provided no information on what else fans can expect to see. Rumors have been swirling for years about a more powerful version of the Switch hardware, but it remains to be seen whether or not those plans are real.

With demand for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X much greater than supply, it will be interesting to see how long Nintendo can stay on top. As the two companies work to meet demand, it's possible Nintendo could be knocked from its spot. For now, however, it seems that it's all good news for the company!

Are you happy to see how well Nintendo Switch is performing? Do you think the Switch Pro rumors are true? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!