Can Nintendo really sell 20 million Switches next financial year?

It has been quite the financial year at Nintendo, following the launch of their latest console, the Nintendo Switch. Since their launch at the beginning of March last year, Nintendo has sold over 10 million units and expects that by the fiscal year’s end of March 31, 2018, that sales will reach 14 million.
The momentum so far has far exceeded the expectations of Nintendo, but its president Tatsumi Kimishima says they intend to push its success even further. In an interview with Kyouto Shimbun (translated by Wccftech), Kimishima believes he can sell 20 million units in the next financial year. The real question though, is can Nintendo maintain the excitement of their first year?

The Nintendo Switch library

Firstly, the Switch had a fantastic library of games in its first year. First party games were in full-force, with most months bringing a new first party game to the Switch. The crown jewels being Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which topped Amazon’s best selling  video games list for 2017. They also were well-received critically, with Odyssey and Breath of the Wild receiving 9/10 or higher from most reviewers. Both also getting nominated for the Game Award for Game of the Year, of which the latter won.
Nintendo also made a point of raking in some other AAA titles. Seemingly learning from the shortcomings of the Wii U, Nintendo went to the studios and got the goods for the Switch. Even going so far as to lend out franchises, in the case of Mario + Rabbids. Sure, these weren’t new and console exclusive titles. However, the inherent positives of the system, most obviously its portability, shined through with these titles. What was a blight on the Wii U, was a core strength to the Switch’s opening library.

Nintendo Switch supporting the indie scene

But this is, of course, before discussing the independent games side. Similar to their relations with the big developers, Nintendo really worked well with indie studios. In fact, the system used “Nindies” to promote the system, meaning a good deal of publicity for independent games. Nintendo gets cooler interesting games, Developers get front-and-centre publicity for their games. This opened the doors to new games landing as console exclusives, such as Golf Story from Australian developer Sidebar Games. Also, other indie titles, such as Stardew Valley, were ported. As such more people could try these games out, and returning fans could play them on the go.

Nintendo Direct Videos

All this was promoted through Nintendo Direct Videos. A trend that started as an answer to E3 press conferences, Nintendo Direct was used in full force. Rather than waiting for big press events, Nintendo could keep players in the loop more regularly. It kind of gave this sense that the gears were always turning, and there was something amazing coming up on the horizon.
A fantastic year overall. But, the challenge is to do even better.

What’s ahead for Nintendo in 2018

There is definitely a fantastic catalogue of games being brought into the 2018 lineup: PC Ports such as Outlast. A lot of to-be-announced titles could come in the next calendar month such as any number of Bayonetta games. And all this speculation comes off the back of recent Amazon listings indicating that up to 16 games may be getting announced at an upcoming Nintendo Direct this month.
As expected, only time will tell if Nintendo will reach Kimishima’s lofty goal. Either way, with the library it now has, it is sure to keep people excited about this new console. Whether they can double down in the coming year, Nintendo has bounced back and learned from the Wii U, and here’s to hoping they keep pressing forward.
You can follow Sam on Twitter @sammydeedge.
Image: Nintendo