Although down 6%, 15% and 9% respectively, Nintendo’s revenue, operating profit and net profit remain excellent, especially the earnings which are above all that we know elsewhere in the video game industry. Of course, the peak of the previous two annual years, which corresponded to COVID-19, is now a thing of the past as Nintendo enters the last phase of the life of its console, but it is very difficult to find in the archives a platform which ages better than the Switch.
With just over 3 million units distributed between January and March 2023, Nintendo ended the fiscal year by selling 17.97 million Switches, which allows it to stick to its objective of 18 million (objective which had been downgraded, rightly so). Although console sales are down 22%, this new performance brings the total of Switches distributed to 125.62 million (of which more than 120 million are in homes) and Nintendo has just set a new target of 15 million for the current fiscal year. The calculation is simple: the manufacturer is aiming for a fleet of 140 million Switches installed by March 31, 2024. After that, a last effort will be necessary to bring down the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo DS.
But let’s be clear, whether or not the Switch manages to reach the 160 million mark before the end of its production is something secondary as the platform is already a success on all fronts, starting with game sales. For the first time in the history of Nintendo consoles, the bar of one billion games has been crossed, without even including titles available only for download on the eShop. If the PS2, the PS3 and the PS4 have all crossed the bar of a billion games before it, Nintendo had only approached it with the Wii (922 million) and the DS (948 million). 214 million Switch games have passed between April 2022 and March 2023, a fairly slight drop (9%) which again guarantees a very comfortable end of life for the machine. Nintendo also plans to sell another 180 million games between April 2023 and March 2024.
” The Nintendo Switch has entered its seventh year since its launch, and while it will be harder to maintain the same sales momentum as before, our goal is to keep more consumers playing the Nintendo Switch. longer, which will result in maximizing sales. We aim to achieve this goal by maintaining high user engagement and conveying the appeal of not only new titles but also titles released in previous years. »
Over 30 million Breath of the Wild
Released in January, Fire Emblem Engage begins with 1.61 million copies distributed worldwide, an honorable start although quite far from Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2.3 million). Metroid Prime Remastered for its part wins the million, which does not allow it to approach the performance of Metroid Dread (2.9 million) but still pays tribute to the work of Retro Studios. The second best performance of this beginning of the year goes to Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe with 1.46 million copies, even if its remake status does not allow it to measure up to the record launch of Kirby and the Forgotten World a year earlier (2.65 million). No news from Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, however, which will come as no surprise to anyone given PlatinumGames’ low profile game in the rankings.
For the rest, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe consolidates its status as the best-selling console with soon 54 million copies, while The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has exceeded 30 million copies distributed, counting the contribution of the Wii U. A way of remembering how much the franchise has changed in dimension on the eve of the launch event of Tears of the Kingdom, the launch of which promises to be colossal in all logic.
The next quarterly report will also be interesting in view of the launch of the new Zelda, but also to measure the real impact of the phenomenal success of the film. Super Mario Bros. in the accounts. Whatever Nintendo’s share of the billion dollars the film has already made at the box office will go into the “mobile games and merchandise” segment which is down 4% for the fiscal year and represents 344 million euros in sales.
For the new fiscal year, the manufacturer anticipates a net profit down 21%. Which means that Nintendo should only make 2.3 billion euros in earnings by March 2024. The crisis, my children. By the way: whether or not the Switch 2 comes out in the next 12 months, Nintendo does not take this into account in its projections. It would be a little too easy. ” Development seems to be progressing well. But the product launch won’t happen until next spring at the earliest. “, advances a source close to Nintendo to Nikkei Asia, speaking of the replacement for the Switch.
Also to know →
- Nintendo’s total workforce numbered 7,317 as of March 31, 2023, 600 more than the previous year.
- The share of dematerialized shows a nice 48.2% for the annual exercise, against 42.6% a year earlier.
- Online revenue (sales of games on the eShop, additional content, Switch Online subscriptions) continues to grow and reaches 2.7 billion euros (+ 12.7%)
- Nintendo ended the fiscal year with a total of 114 million active players, up from 103 million a year earlier.
The 10 best-selling Switches
The numbers correspond by default to the distribution volume. In some cases, consumer sales are shown in parentheses.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 53.79 million
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 42.21 million
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 31.09 million
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 29.81 million
Pokemon Sword And Pokemon Shield – 25.82 million (20.7 million sold)
super mario odyssey – 25.76 million
Pokemon Scarlet And Pokemon Purple – 22.10 million
Super Mario Party – 19.14 million
New Super Mario Bros. U-Deluxe – 15.41 million
Ring Fit Adventure – 15.38 million
Other figures
The numbers correspond by default to the distribution volume. In some cases, consumer sales are shown in parentheses.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus – 14.83 million
Luigi’s Mansion 3 – 12.82 million
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – 11.38 million
Splatoon 3 – 10.67 million (10.2 million sold)
Mario Party Superstars – 10.17 million
Nintendo Switch Sports – 9.60 million (9 million sold)
Kirby and the Forgotten World – 6.46 million
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football – 2.54 million (2 million sold)
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – 1.86 million (1.6 million sold)
Fire Emblem Engage – 1.61 million
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe – 1.46 million
Metroid Prime Remastered – 1.09 million
Bayonetta 3 – 1.07 million