Switch 2 third-party sales reportedly “very low” despite record-breaking console launch
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Switch 2 third-party sales reportedly mostly “very low” despite record-breaking console launch
Switch 2 has got off to a flying start, with Nintendo proudly trumpeting the console as its “fastest-selling hardware ever” just days after launch. But a new report suggests third-party titles have so far struggled, with one third- party publisher saying sales have been “below our lowest estimates” That’s according to TheGameBusiness’ Chris Dring, who collated some pertinent sales figures surrounding Switch 2’s launch in his latest newsletter. The key numbers are that 48 percent of physical game sales in the UK (and 62 percent of Physical Game Sales in the US) were first- party titles, if Mario Kart World is excluded. But if it’s not, 86 percent of Switch 2 physical game Sales were for first-party games.
That’s according to TheGameBusiness’ Chris Dring, who collated some pertinent sales figures surrounding Switch 2’s launch in his latest newsletter. The key numbers are that 48 percent of physical game sales in the UK (and 62 percent of physical game sales in the US) were first-party titles, if Switch 2’s Mario Kart World bundle is excluded; but if it’s not, 86 percent of Switch 2 physical game sales in the UK were for first-party titles. Nintendo, for context, had three titles available physically at launch: Mario Kart World, plus Switch 2 editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom; third-parties released a total of 13 physical games.
Dring notes Switch 2’s figures are an improvement compared to the original Switch’s launch, where 89 percent of UK physical sales were from first-party games, but adds that “most third-party Switch 2 games posted very low numbers”, despite the availability of some big names, including Civilization 7, Split Fiction, Street Fighter, and Hogwarts Legacy (the report’s source, NielsenIQ, does not publicly release video game sales data).
Speaking to TheGameBusiness, one unnamed third-party publisher painted a bleak picture of its Switch 2 launch sales, saying they’d been “below our lowest estimates”. However, not every third-party release has struggled. Dring says CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 was the “best-selling third-party game during the launch of Switch 2”, and did “reasonable numbers”.
Dring highlights the fact CD Projekt was one of the few publishers not to opt for Nintendo’s controversial Game Key Cards, which require full downloads to play, and quotes CD Projekt’s Jan Rosner as having previously said, “Do not underestimate the physical edition. It’s not going anywhere and Nintendo players are very appreciative of physical editions that are done right.”
As to why most third-parties have got off to a slow start on Switch 2, Dring suggests a number of reasons in his analysis; there’s the console’s enhanced backward compatibility, for starters, meaning many players (we’ve got some of them here) are likely also delving into the original Switch’s impressive back catalogue right now. That’s alongside a lack of reviews covering third-party games given Nintendo’s decision not to provide early consoles to press, and it’s hard to ignore the fact almost all third-party Switch 2 titles are ports of older games, which many core players have likely already experienced elsewhere.
Despite all this, Dring says many major publishers have told him Nintendo is “actively trying to push third-party games this time around”, so the hope will obviously be that sales pick up once players have had their fill of Mario Kart World. Notable confirmed third-party titles still to release include EA Sports Madden 26 and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, while Nintendo’s big hitters include Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokémon Legends: Z-A, plus Switch 2 editions of Super Mario Party Jamboree and Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Third-party Switch 2 game sales have started off slow, with one publisher selling ‘below our lowest estimates’
Third-party games have struggled to sell on Nintendo Switch 2 at launch. One publisher claims that its game has sold ‘below our lowest estimates’ In the US, 62% of Switch 2 physical game sales in the launch week came from first-party titles, including the Mario Kart World bundle. Cyberpunk 2077 was the best-selling third-party game in the UK during the system’s launch week. Last week, Nintendo announced that Switch 2 had sold 3.5 million units globally in its first four days on sale, making it the fastest-selling Nintendo system ever. In the U.S, the system has enjoyed the biggest launch ever for a video game console, beating out the PlayStation 4. In Japan, it has enjoyed a huge launch, with 947,931 consoles sold in four days. It remains to be seen, then, how third- party games will fare on Switch 2 once the launch window is behind it.
While the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware has enjoyed record-breaking launch sales, some third-party publishers have reportedly found that the console’s success hasn’t translated to a thriving third-party market yet.
In a new report from The Game Business, it’s claimed that, other than CD Projekt Red‘s Cyberpunk 2077, most third-party games have struggled to sell on Switch 2.
“Most third-party Switch 2 games posted very low numbers,” the report reads. “One third-party publisher characterised the numbers as ‘below our lowest estimates’, despite strong hardware sales.”
According to the report, 62% of Switch 2 physical game sales in the US during the console’s launch week came from first-party titles. This excludes the Mario Kart World bundle, which accounted for the vast majority of console sales in the region.
According to Circana data, the three best-selling physical games in the US during the Switch 2’s launch week were Mario Kart World, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
NielsenIQ data shows that, in the UK, 86% of Switch 2 physical games sold in the UK during launch week were first-party games, if the Mario Kart World bundle is included (if it’s excluded, the figure is 48%). Cyberpunk 2077 was the best-selling third-party game in the UK during the system’s launch week.
There are numerous potential reasons for the relatively slow start for third-party games on Switch 2. The high attach rate for Mario Kart World implies that a lot of players are happy enough to play that for now, and explore the rest of the line-up once they’re done with Mario Kart.
Switch 2’s backwards compatibility also means players have a number of other games they can play at launch, most notably the 12 first-party Switch games that were given free updates improving them on Switch 2.
The lack of media reviews of third-party Switch 2 games, and the resistance by some players to accept the Game-Key Card format, could have also contributed to low third-party launch sales.
The majority of third-party Switch 2 launch titles were also ports of games that had been released earlier on other consoles, meaning it’s likely that players who wanted those games had already found a way to buy them by now.
It remains to be seen, then, how third-party games will fare on Switch 2 once the launch window is behind it, particularly when it comes to multi-format games that release on Switch 2 on the same day as on other systems.
In general terms, launch line-ups aside, third-party titles have often struggled to find huge success on Nintendo platforms in recent years. This is due to several factors, including the fact that many ‘core’ players will own other, often more powerful hardware as well as a Nintendo console.
Despite the third-party sales issues, Nintendo Switch 2 is off to an extremely strong start. In the US, the system has enjoyed the biggest launch ever for a video game console, beating out the PlayStation 4.
The success story of the Nintendo Switch 2 is much the same in Japan, where it has enjoyed a huge launch. Famitsu‘s sales data shows that Switch 2 sold 947,931 consoles in its first four days in Japan.
Last week, Nintendo announced that Switch 2 had sold 3.5 million units globally in its first four days on sale, making it the fastest-selling Nintendo system ever, and likely the biggest ever console launch.
In comparison, PlayStation 5 shipped (not sold) 3.4 million units in its first four weeks on sale, and 4.5 million in its first seven weeks, though Sony’s console suffered from significant stock shortages.