When it comes to sales figures for video game software and hardware, even a single week can be a major difference in what can come down the line. Typically, a console will surge ahead of normal during an important release date of a title, but other times, they’ll randomly surge ahead without any clear indication as to why. In Japan last week, the PS5 beat the Nintendo Switch in hardware sales. It was only by a few thousand units, but the fact remains that they did it. It was the first time in a long time that this had happened, so people took notice.
However, people also noticed when they discovered that the next week, the Switch was back on top in Japan, and by a large margin. In fact, the Switch sold over 77,000 more than the PS5 last week, and here’s the chart to prove it:
As the insider notes, the biggest reason for this surge is the looming arrival of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The games are getting massive pre-orders in Japan, and the hype for them in the region is reaching a fever pitch. Many expect it to be the biggest launch in the franchise’s history, so everyone who wants to play it needs a Switch to enjoy it.
The Nintendo Switch has enjoyed quite a few victories over the last week. First, the latest financial data revealed that the systems sold 114 million units, with its software at almost a billion units! It is truly a worthy system to get such accolades. Plus, with Black Friday and the holidays coming, those numbers will skyrocket. Along with the release of a new game, as we’ve noted.
Also, on the software side, two of the big releases of the last quarter made it into the million-sellers club, and some titles like Kirby and the Forgotten Land became the best-selling game in their franchise’s history!
As if that’s not enough, the platform already has a stacked 2023 roster, and we only know about games for the first five months of the year! So when you factor this all in, Nintendo is on a roll right now with the Switch and its games. Of course, there will be some challenges from both Sony and Microsoft due to all the major acquisitions they have been obtaining, but as long as Nintendo sticks to who they are and what they can be, their sales will continue.
Source: Twitter
