Nintendo discusses Switch hardware sell-through, annual playing users
In its financial results explanatory material published today, Nintendo delved into Switch hardware sell-through as well as the system’s annual playing users.
As mentioned today, the system has crossed the 100 million mark and has now outsold the Wii. Nintendo stressed that it’s still combating semiconductor shortages and distribution delays, which has an impact on Switch production.
As for annual playing users, the company said: “Many people continued to play Nintendo Switch in the most recent year, and for the period of January through December of 2021, the number of annual playing users exceeded 98 million users.”
Below are Nintendo’s full comments:
So far, we have been talking about sell-in, or unit sales by the Nintendo group to its business partners. Now, let’s turn the discussion to sell-through, which is the number of units purchased by consumers.
The graph on the left (above) shows sell-through for the Nintendo Switch family of systems. Red indicates Nintendo Switch, orange is Nintendo Switch Lite, and blue is Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, which launched in October 2021. Sales of the Nintendo Switch family of systems continued to grow during the holiday season, and total global sell-through surpassed 100 million units as of the end of December 2021. The outlook for semiconductors and other components has remained uncertain since the start of this fiscal year and distribution delays remain unresolved, so production and logistics continue to be impacted. But even though product shortages in North America have continued, particularly since Black Friday, total global sell-through for April through December reached its second-highest level ever. Following the launch of Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, all three Nintendo Switch models continued their momentum. Nintendo Switch – OLED Model is also being purchased as both a replacement system and as an additional system, creating new demand.
The graph on the right shows the trend in the number of annual playing users of the Nintendo Switch family of systems, comparing 12-month periods from January to December in this case, rather than fiscal years. Many people continued to play Nintendo Switch in the most recent year, and for the period of January through December of 2021, the number of annual playing users exceeded 98 million users.
