Nintendo upgrades fiscal-year forecast as Switch hits 52.5 million consoles sold

Nintendo said it is upgrading its forecast for profits in the fiscal year ending March 31, thanks to strong sales of the Nintendo Switch and games that run on it.

Nintendo said that its revenues would hit $11.48 billion in the fiscal year, about the same as it had predicted in October. But the Kyoto, Japan-based video game company said its operating profit would be $2.75 billion, up from a previous forecast of $2.38 billion.

Switch sales

As of December, the Nintendo Switch has sold 52.5 million to date, with software hitting 310.6 million copies sold as of December 31, 2019. The Nintendo 3DS has sold 75.7 million units and 382.2 million copies of software.

The Switch is far more successful than the predecessor Wii U, which only sold 13.56 million units and 103 million copies of software.

Meanwhile, Nintendo said that it has sold 22.96 million copies of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, 17.68 million copies of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and 16.59 million copies of Super Mario Odyssey. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has sold 16.34 million copies, and Pokemon Sword/Pokemon Shield have sold 16.06 million copies.

Nine month results

 

Above: Nintendo Switch Lite and other stuff that goes in my pocket. | Image Credit: GamesBeat

For the nine months ended December 31, Nintendo reported sales of $9.39 billion, up from $9.16 billion a year earlier. Operating profit was $2.41 billion, compared with $2.02 billion a year earlier. Net profit was $1.80 billion, compared with $1.55 billion a year earlier.

During the nine months, Nintendo launched its Nintendo Switch Lite handheld system, and the launch didn’t hurt Switch sales, resulting in sales growth for the whole Switch family, Nintendo said.

Other details and forecasts

So far, Nintendo and other publishers have had 21 titles that have sold more than a million units in the current fiscal year.

Hardware unit sales in the nine months ended December 31 were 17.74 million, up 22.5% from a year earlier. Software sales were 123.13 million units, up 30.1%.

Nintendo Switch Online and other digital revenues were up 48% from a year earlier, and the mobile business saw revenue rise 10.6%.

Nintendo is forecasting that it will sell 19.5 million Switch units during the fiscal year ending March 31. Of that, Nintendo expects it will 5.2 million Switch Lite units.