Nintendo's Switch 2 hardware sales fall 37% in the half-year
Nintendo made more operating profit in the first half of its fiscal year, even though sales shrank. Switch 2 hardware is the weak spot, down 37.4% on last year.
Switch 2: fewer consoles, more games
Switch 2 hardware sales fell 37.4% to 6.49 million units, against 10.36 million a year earlier. Nintendo said many consumers continued to adopt the system, "spurred on by factors like the release of new titles."
Switch 2 software did better. Sales rose 18.8% to 24.49 million units, from 20.62 million. Splatoon Raiders sold 2.42 million units after its July release. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, out in September, sold 1.34 million, and Star Fox, out in June, sold 1.17 million.
A bigger profit on smaller sales
For the six months to September 30, 2026, net sales fell 12.1% to ¥966 billion ($6.1 billion). Operating profit rose 49.1% to ¥216.5 billion ($1.3 billion), and ordinary profit climbed 27.4% to ¥300.6 billion ($1.9 billion).
Nintendo credits steady software sales from new titles such as Splatoon Raiders. It also counts a US tariff refund booked in the first quarter. The company said the tariffs behind the refunds "were primarily borne by the company rather than passed on to consumers through product prices."
Revenue from the dedicated video game platform segment declined 15.3% to ¥903.3 billion ($5.7 billion), even as software unit sales increased.
Digital and the older Switch
Across both generations, Nintendo sold 7.76 million hardware units and 90.22 million software units. Digital made up 60.7% of software sales, worth ¥249.6 billion ($1.5 billion), reflecting higher demand for downloadable versions of packaged games.
On the original Switch, hardware fell 32.7% to 1.27 million units, from 1.89 million. By model, the OLED sold 63,000, the standard Switch 35,000 and the Lite 29,000.
Software on the older family still grew. Its software sales were up 6.8%, to 65.73 million units. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream sold 8.81 million and Rhythm Heaven Groove 2.89 million.
What Nintendo plans next
The company says it wants to grow the Switch 2 installed base by expanding sales of existing titles and releasing new ones. It also plans to lean on the Switch installed base and its software lineup to expand software sales and maintain engagement.
Nintendo's list of new titles for the next financial period includes Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metroid Ravenous. Only Metroid Ravenous carries a date, January 2027. The source does not say whether that date covers the other titles.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz