Nintendo has reduced the annual sales forecast for the original Switch console for the fiscal year ending in March. The Japanese gaming major cited slowing momentum for the ageing console to cut its sales forecast by 12% to 11 million units. This comes ahead of the launch of the Switch 2, the successor to the popular console, which is expected to be released later this year. Apart from this, the company also lowered its operating profit forecast by 22.2% to 280 billion yen ($1.8 billion).
What Nintendo said about Switch sales
"While we think sales of hardware and software are solid for the eighth year, we did not achieve our plan," Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said during the company’s latest earnings call despite the lowered forecasts. The company’s profit also declined by 46.7% to 247.6 billion yen ($1.6 billion) during the April-December period.
During this period, Nintendo sold 9.54 million Switch units, bringing total lifetime sales of the older console to 150.86 million. Despite expanding into retail stores, theme parks, and films featuring its iconic characters, the company remains heavily reliant on its console business.
Nintendo Switch 2 to release in 2025: What we know so far
Last month, Nintendo announced its plans to launch a successor to its popular home-portable Switch console this year. With a Nintendo Direct event scheduled for April 2, the Switch 2 seems to retain a design similar to its predecessor, which boosted Nintendo's success following the Wii U's average performance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itpcsQQvgAQ&t=3s
As per the teaser, the Switch 2 seems larger than its predecessor, though the company didn’t specify its exact size. It features a U-shaped kickstand, a USB-C port on top, and larger Joy-Con controllers that now attach magnetically instead of sliding on rails. The right Joy-Con gains a new button below the home button, and the SL/SR buttons have been enlarged.
The dock has a more rounded design, and the Joy-Cons remain compatible with a grip controller. The Switch 2 will support both physical and digital games from the original Switch, though some older titles may not transition perfectly.
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