Nintendo Acknowledges Switch 2 Sales Have Been 'Slightly Weaker' Than Expected Outside Japan

Nintendo has discussed the information that Switch 2 hardware income were little than expected extracurricular Japan towards the extremity of 2025.

Speaking to shareholders this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that "overseas income were somewhat weaker than our expectations," thing that had antecedently been reported and discussed with IGN by analysts, though not stated retired large by the institution itself.

Still, successful an capitalist gathering pursuing the merchandise of this week's latest fiscal earnings, Nintendo shareholders repeatedly questioned the institution connected its occidental income shortfall, adjacent arsenic the Switch 2 overperforms wrong its homeland of Japan.

"While our forecasted planetary hardware and bundle income measurement remains unchanged, the breakdown by portion and merchandise is based connected antithetic assumptions from the revised forecast announced astatine the clip of our second-quarter fiscal results announcement," Furukawa said, via instrumentality translation.

"Furthermore, arsenic you understand, home hardware income measurement exceeded our expectations, portion overseas income were somewhat weaker than our expectations," helium continued.

Sales figures collated by The Game Business past period showed that U.S. Switch 2 income implicit the vacation play were down astir 35% versus the Switch 1's archetypal vacation income show backmost successful 2017. In the UK, a akin examination saw Switch 2 lagging Switch 1 by 16%. Even successful Nintendo's homeland of Japan, Switch 2 vacation income couldn't lucifer Switch 1, and were down by 5.5% implicit the year's last 9 weeks.

In France, 2025's last tally of Switch 2 income was down by "over 30%" versus the magnitude Switch 1 notched up backmost successful 2017, meanwhile.

While these numbers whitethorn instrumentality immoderate of the radiance disconnected of a palmy archetypal twelvemonth for Switch 2 overall, it's not each doom and gloom. Switch 2's beingness income successful Japan are inactive supra what Switch 1 managed successful its archetypal year, with little clip connected sale. And successful the UK, Switch 1 continued to merchantability good capable that it made up Switch 2's vacation income deficit.

Asked for much item connected wherefore hardware income successful Japan were doing amended than expected, Furukawa has present highlighted the merchandise of 2 games successful peculiar that had resonated with the country's audience: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and the Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders.

"We judge that the crushed for the stronger-than-expected hardware income successful Japan is that, amid the continued momentum of the archetypal motorboat of the Switch 2 hardware, caller titles specified arsenic Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Kirby Air Riders, released during the vacation buying season, [leading] to a comparatively precocious inclination of existing Switch owners switching to the Switch 2 compared to overseas."

While the Pokémon franchise is hugely fashionable globally, it enjoys a peculiar level of devotion wrong Japan. Kirby games besides merchantability particularly good successful the country, with mixed occurrence historically overseas. Essentially, then, Furukawa is suggesting that the Switch 2's level of occurrence successful Japan has been fuelled by 2 titles that person resonated peculiarly good with Japanese audiences.

It's a connection that gels good with what a recent, unnamed occidental Nintendo root reportedly said of the company's softer Switch 2 income overseas, which were blamed connected the deficiency of a cardinal first-party crippled for the holidays. The remark raised eyebrows astatine the clip owed to the information it appeared to place Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (as Metroid Prime has traditionally been seen arsenic a sub-franchise with a stronger occidental pursuing than successful Japan). However, arsenic we learned this week, Metroid Prime 4 has so gotten disconnected to a dilatory commencement sales-wise, thing Nintendo appeared to person anticipated to immoderate degree.

There was adjacent to nary notation of Metroid Prime 4 successful Nintendo's fiscal results this week, and nary motion of its Switch oregon Switch 2 versions connected the company's lists of cardinal copy-selling games. Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders was recorded arsenic having sold 1.76 cardinal units since its accomplishment connected November 20, but determination was nary notation of however good Metroid Prime 4 had fared pursuing its accomplishment connected December 4.

Following the motorboat of Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo admitted that it knew the game's open-world conception risked feeling outdated. Last month, Metroid Prime shaper and Nintendo seasoned Kensuke Tanabe abruptly announced that the crippled would beryllium his past task for the institution aft 4 decades of service. When contacted for much item by IGN, Nintendo did not comment.

Overall, Switch 2 remains Nintendo's fastest-selling console astatine motorboat ever, with an explosive accomplishment propelled by the caller occurrence of the archetypal Switch (something it, successful turn, didn't person arsenic it followed Wii U). But each eyes volition beryllium connected Nintendo present to enactment up its line-up of Switch 2 games for the remainder of 2026 — erstwhile fans anticipation they'll yet get a caller 3D Mario platformer successful clip for Christmas.

Upcoming first-party Switch 2 games see Mario Tennis Fever (February 12), Pokémon Pokopia (March 5), Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup successful Bellabel Park (March 26), Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (April 16), and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which has a vague "spring" motorboat window. Simply listed for 2026 are Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, Rhythm Heaven Groove and Pokémon Champions, portion Splatoon Raiders has a "TBA" motorboat date.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social