Nintendo sold 6.86 million Switch consoles between July and September, representing a 40 percent year-on-year increase and outperforming last year’s second quarter which saw the release of the Switch Lite, the company announced.
The latest financial results released by Nintendo bring the Switch’s total units shipped to 68.3 million units. Having smashed through the lifetime sales for most of the company’s home consoles except for the Wii’s 101.63 million units, the Switch is set to overtake the popular handheld 3DS’ 75.95 million units by the end of the fiscal year.
In the document, Nintendo said first-party releases Paper Mario: The Origami King and Super Mario 3D All-Stars were “off to a good start,” selling 2.82 million and 5.21 million units, respectively.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was “of particular note” since the social simulation title proved to be a major sales driver. With 3.64 million sold from July to September, the game continues to sit in second in lifetime software sales with 26.04 million units shipped, less than three million behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
The company initially forecasted a 300 billion yen ($2.87 billion) profit for the 2020 fiscal year in May, but a brilliant second quarter headlined by the Switch’s booming sales saw the company make 291 billion yen ($2.79 billion) in the first six months alone. Nintendo has now raised its expectations by a significant 50 percent to 450 billion yen ($4.32 billion), as well as anticipating the Switch to sell 24 million units instead of 19 million.
Nintendo isn’t resting on its laurels going into the third quarter, though. Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit were released in October, as well as The Crown Tundra DLC for Pokémon Sword and Shield.
With rivals Microsoft and Sony introducing their next-generation consoles during the holiday season, Nintendo will try to finish the year strongly even without a hardware release. The company will be releasing the hybrid Breath of the Wild prequel and Hyrule Warriors sequel Age of Calamity and the throwback title Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. in November.
Should Nintendo fail to capture the attention of the general public due to the buzz around its rivals, the company reportedly has plans for an upgraded Switch model in 2021. A stronger lineup of games, including highly anticipated sequels Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4 that have yet to receive release dates, will reportedly accompany the improved model.
