Gaming history will look upon the Nintendo Switch with awe and reverence for numerous reasons. The biggest one was that the console saved The Big N from going under. After the failure of the Wii U, it was widely believed that this was Nintendo’s “last shot” to be successful in the video game industry like they were before. Even then, they had a large hill to climb. Not only did they climb that hill, but they put their flag on top of it and never came down off of it. So, with all that being said, why are industry analysts saying that the Switch’s successor will likely not reach its heights?
These “predictions” come from Bloomberg, where they asked a couple of analysts to look at what Nintendo will likely do with the Switch’s successor regarding its sales numbers. As you might have guessed, the predictions weren’t the best:
“In our five-year earnings estimates, we do not see profits during the next-generation hardware cycle surpassing peak profits of the Nintendo Switch cycle. (This could change if the hardware) turns out to be new concept hardware rather than a successor along the same lines as the Nintendo Switch.”
Another noted:
“We do not think the new console will be as successful as the Switch, and see potential profit-taking after the announcement.”
Here’s what you need to know about these “predictions.” They mean less than nothing right now. How so? Well, when the Switch came out, even Nintendo wasn’t sure they would have a hit on their hands. But they not only had the perfect advancement in technology to piggyback on via the “mobile console” with the handheld option, but they put everything they could into making the best games for the system.
Almost every single year was packed with titles of all kinds. Sure, there were plenty of ports from the Wii U days, but those ports often did incredibly well. Plus, Nintendo went and brought in third parties who were hesitant to work with them before and got them to make exclusive titles that also did incredibly well.
So, guessing that the Switch’s successor isn’t going to do well isn’t just unfair; it’s not right to predict because no one thought the Switch would sell over 130 million units and dominate the market for basically seven years straight.
Plus, we don’t know what the new system will be like or what the games are set to come out for it. So, let the future sales numbers speak for themselves when they happen.
