The Nintendo Switch platform has been an incredible success over the last five years, and the console is showing no signs of slowing down. Today, the company released its financial results for the 2021 fiscal year, and there’s quite a bit of good news for the company. Not only does the system continue to sell, but so does its software. In total, 235.07 million units were sold, which is an increase of 1.8% over the previous year. According to Nintendo, it’s also the “highest annual software sales figure ever posted for a Nintendo platform to date.”
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A number of new releases contributed to this success, and Nintendo revealed exactly how well these games have sold, thus far.
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl– 14.65 million (combined)
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus– 12.64 million
- Mario Party Superstars– 6.88 million
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD– 3.91 million
Nintendo also reported thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizons sold 6.01 million copies last year, bringing its grand total to 38.64 million. Meanwhile, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe moved 9.94 million units last year, bringing the game’s total to 45.33 million units sold on Switch. The Wii U port continues to sell incredibly well, and could continue to do so throughout this year. In March, the first courses from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass were released, and the DLC could convince even more Switch owners to buy the game.
It’s hard to overstate what an impressive achievement this is for Nintendo. While the Nintendo Wii was a major success, software sales were not nearly as successful, particularly as the console’s lifespan went on. After more than five years on the market, Switch owners continue to buy lots of new software, and that will likely continue this year with major releases like Splatoon 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It’s impossible to say whether software sales in 2022 will be able to beat this year’s numbers, but Nintendo has to be happy with the console’s continued performance!
Are you surprised Switch games are selling this well? What games are you looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments or share directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
