Nintendo Switch Trounces PlayStation 4's Debut Year in Japan, Selling Over 3.8 Million Units

According to Media Create's latest sales chart of the Japanese video game market, the Nintendo Switch sold a whopping 3.8 million units in Japan, at retail, in its first year. Not only is this figure drastically up from the Wii U's first year performance in Japan, it's more than triple what Sony's PlayStation 4 managed to produce during the same time.

As you may know, in its first year on the Japanese retail market the PS4 sold 1,143,542 units, a number that was lower than expected, and perhaps the result of the scarcity of quality Japanese games available on the system at the time. For the Switch, outselling the PS4's lackluster figure isn't the most impressive achievement, but given the dreadful start of the Wii U, it's one Nintendo will welcome with open arms.

Eyeing four million, Nintendo will look to continue its impressive start in its home country in year two, despite having less system-selling software on offer. In its first year on the market, the Switch was bolstered by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Splatoon 2, aka some of the best selling games of 2017.

In year two of its life, Nintendo's software line-up doesn't feature as many heavy hitters, but it does have some of the following releases to look forward to: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Mario Tennis Aces, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Octopath Traveler, Dark Souls Remastered, a new Yoshi title, and maybe even a new Super Smash Bros. release. In its first year on market, Nintendo undeniably relied on its massive first-party releases, but as you can see from the list of the games above, it will be relying much more on third-party games for its second year on the market.

It's worth noting the last time Nintendo found success out of the gate was the with the Wii, which after a blistering start lost momentum over time. It's possible the Switch will meet a similar fate. But if Nintendo's recent Direct is anything to go by, Nintendo and the Switch aren't planning to slow down anytime soon.