Nintendo’s President says Switch has a long lifespan

Recently in an interview with Japanese newspaper Mainichi Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima said that the Switch is a console with a long lifespan. He added that the second year of sale will be crucial for the future of the console.

The Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017 and managed to close out the year with 10 million units sold, impressive considering the stock shortages experienced by retail stores and online storefronts. Nintendo is planning to raise this number to 14 million by the end of the financial year in March 2018, and to 20 million consoles sold by the end of 2018.

One of Nintendo’s objectives for 2018, according to Kimishima, is to bring the Switch to people who have barely touched games consoles. While the traditional gamer market is obviously key, the console will thrive if there are more users out and about with a Nintendo Switch, even if they only play it a couple of times a week.

Many are comparing the Nintendo Switch to the PlayStation 2, in terms of success, or even Nintendo’s last hugely successful console the Nintendo Wii. The Wii sold 100 million units within seven years of being on sale. The Switch could be on track to beat this number if sales momentum continues.

The Nintendo Switch is unique in that it can be played at home on televisions with controllers and friends like any conventional console, but it can also be taken out and about and played on the go. Giving gamers the ability to take their games with them is nothing new, in fact Nintendo is only now bringing the era of the Nintendo 3DS to an end after eleven or so iterations.

What the Nintendo Switch offers is blockbuster, triple A experiences from a range of developers, not just first party titles. Giving players the power to play these on the go wherever they want is something that’s never been done before, but it’s clearly something that’s desirable as the sales show.

Nintendo need to keep up the release of amazing games for the Switch in order to maintain this sales momentum. Games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Odyssey which received near perfect review scores alongside great games like Skyrim and Wolfenstein 2 will give people a reason to invest in a Nintendo Switch.