Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has said that fan expectation around Switch 2 isn’t the primary cause of Switch 1’s plummeting sales.
Earlier today, Nintendo admitted it had failed to hit its own targets for Switch 1 over the course of 2024. The company has revised its finacial forecast as console sales dipped by 30 percent, and sales of Switch 1 software also slumped.
Speaking to investors following the announcement, Furukawa dismissed the suggestion that anticipation for Switch 2 was to blame.
“We don’t think the impact of refraining from purchasing [because of Switch 2] is that great,” Furukawa said, as repoted by Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun. “We think it’s a solid eighth year, but we haven’t reached our target.”
It’s fair to suggest that, after eight years, any console maker should expect sales to be in decline – as indeed they have for Switch 1 since the console’s sales peak, back in 2022.
2024 was also a much quieter year for Switch 1 software releases overall, with The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Mario Party Jamboree selling well but not as strongly as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder back in 2023.
And while the internet may be hanging on Nintendo’s every word for news on Switch 2, there’s still a large audience of Switch owners who are less engaged with Nintendo’s preparations for what’s next. Regardless, Nintendo has seen a steeper drop off in Switch 1 sales this year than any previous – and more than the company had predicted.
That said, it’s clear Nintendo will continue to push its hugely-successful Switch 1 – for the time being. Furukawa noted the company would continue Switch 1 support “as long as there is demand”.
Nintendo has previously said similar ahead of launching new hardware in the past – and it’s not a surprise. The company already has Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition due in March, before Metroid Prime 4 and Pokémon Legends Z-A arrive on Switch 1 later this year.
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