As we noted yesterday, the latest financial briefing for Nintendo came out, and it revealed several different pieces of news about The Big N’s hardware line, software line, and everything in between. Even today, we’re getting new info on how everything breaks down, and some key pieces of insight have emerged that showcase why the Nintendo Switch was such a big success not only in the overall sales of the platform but also in the way it revitalized or downright saved certain franchises. In the picture below, you’ll see the official sales chart depicted four key Switch franchises that had terrible sales numbers between the 3DS and Wii U, and yet were booming on the Switch.
At first, some of these numbers might feel “deceiving,” or that they’re “stacked” in a certain way. However, while the Wii U wasn’t the biggest hit ever, the 3DS sold over 75 million units and had several titles across numerous franchises, including big hits, smaller hits, and so on.
Anyway, when it comes to Pikmin, that series always felt rather “niche,” and while it did decently on the Gamecube, it says a lot that it didn’t really grow, pun intended, until the Nintendo Switch. Just in Japan, the 4th title outsold every other title that had been released there, showing that the “key changes” to the franchise that Shigeru Miyamoto and others made were well worth it.
As for Kirby, his games have always been decent in sales, if not booming at times. Yet, with the Switch, you could see the spike in sales to be three times what had happened before, and part of that is undoubtedly because of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which shook up the formula in a big way to make the world more open to players.
As for Metroid, Samus Aran had some rather “troubling times” on 3DS and Wii U, especially due to a game that she wasn’t even in! Yet, when the Switch came, and we got Metroid Dread, it changed everything, including that title becoming the best-selling game in the franchise. Plus, another entry is on the way…
Finally, with Xenoblade Chronicles, that series had a port on the 3DS and a new entry on Wii U, and those combined for just 1.41 million. Then, with the Switch, with the true second entry, everything changed. With fans hooked, they went all out for the third entry and got a Game of the Year contender!
So, you could easily argue that the increase in quality, accessibility, and the large player base of the Switch all saved these franchises. Can we please see that again with certain series on Switch 2?
