Switch-ed on: Nintendo operating profits soar 82 per cent
Nintendo has forecast its Switch console sales to hit 25.5m units in the financial year that started 1 April, after global lockdown measures spurred a gaming frenzy.
The Japanese gaming company sold 28.8m Switch consoles in the year ending 31 March, exceeding Nintendo’s February expectations of 26.5m.
The Kyoto-based firm was on the receiving end of the pandemic-induced gaming boom, which saw operating profits soar 82 per cent to $5.9bn in the year ended March.
Gamers and market participants alike are now tracking the Switch console to see if it can keep its momentum for the fifth year running.
The gaming company has since forecast annual Switch sales to drop 11.5 per cent, its first potential decline since its release.
The boom has buoyed Nintendo’s share price, which has gained 90 per cent since March last year.
Each generation of games console typically lasts around seven years before being overtaken by the next, with sales peaking around year five.
Unlike its Sony and Microsoft rivals, Nintendo is highly dependent on its console business, which its expansion into the booming mobile gaming market has largely stalled.
Sony’s share price fell last week after the group forecast PlayStation 5 sales of over 14.8m units this business year, which was foiled by the global chip shortage, the business said.