Nintendo Switch continued to dominate hardware sales in the US last month, achieving its best October on record.
According to NPD data published byNintendoof America, a combined total of 735,926 Switch and Switch Lite consoles were sold, up 136% compared to October 2019.
The figures represent the second-highest October sales for any game console, Nintendo said. Only the Wii has bettered Switch’s October performance, with 807,000 sales during the same month in 2008.
“Seeing encouraging sales growth like this in the fourth October ofNintendo Switchproves to us that the system has many more years and great games yet to come,” said Nintendo of America PresidentDoug Bowserin a statement.
Nintendo’s latest console has enjoyed strong sales in the US throughout 2020 – it has actually been the best-selling video game console for 23 consecutive months.
Between January and April 2020,Switch broke the all-time record for dollar sales. And the following month, Switch unit sales were the highest for an individual platform in a May month since theNintendo DSin 2009.
In its March report, market research firm theNPD GroupsaidSwitch set a new all-time recordfor hardware unit sales in a March month, and recorded the strongest first quarter unit sales of any platform since the DS in 2010.
Switch has now sold over 22.5 million units in the US, according to the NPD Group, representing about a third ofthe console’s lifetime sales.
Earlier this monthNintendo increased its global Switch hardware sales forecastfor the year, on the back of its latest strong results.
The firm’s hardware and software sales continued to see huge year-on-year growth during the six-month period ended September 30, with combined Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite hardware sales reaching 12.53 million units (an 80% increase year-on-year) for life-to-date sales of 68.30 million units.
Nintendo could take advantage of PS5 andXboxSeries stock shortages and becomeChristmas 2020’s best-selling consolein America, according to a recentnotepublished by NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella.
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“PlayStation 5and Xbox Series consoles should be among the hottest holiday gifting items of 2020. Units will be tough to find with continued strong demand into 2021,” the analyst wrote.
“Switch will also be a hot holiday gifting item with more households picking up multiple Switch consoles in the fourth quarter. The lack of available inventory of newPlayStations and Xbox systems will leave Switch as an appealing available option (although supply may still be difficult to find).”
Nintendo of America’s headlineBlack Friday offer is a Switch consolewith a download code forMario Kart 8 Deluxeand a three-month Nintendo Switch Online subscription for $299.99.
