Nintendo Switch sales: nearly 5 million sold — and nearly all players own ‘Zelda’

By Gabe Gurwin July 26, 2017

nintendo switch nearly 5 million sold on the go — Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch continues to sell strongly four months after its initial release, and the console is still almost impossible to find on store shelves. To date, Nintendo has sold nearly 5 million units, and almost everyone who purchased the console also picked up a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Nintendo revealed the latest figures in its quarterly earnings report, stating that over the last three months, nearly 2 million Nintendo Switch systems have been sold. This is in addition to the more than 2.7 million consoles sold in just its first month on the market, putting its cumulative number at just over 4.7 million.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was, naturally, the most popular game for the system. More than 83 percent of Switch owners also own the game, which has sold nearly 4 million copies. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s numbers are almost as impressive, with more than 3.5 million copies sold to date. The original Wii U release, which launched in 2014, saw a similar attachment rate, with 8.35 million copies sold. By that time, however, the Wii U had already been on the market for well over a year, and it wasn’t in short supply at retailers.

New IP Arms was described by Nintendo as “off to a good start,” with a little over 1 million units sold so far. Splatoon 2 isn’t mentioned, as the numbers only run through June 30, but early reports point to the game being a huge hit. In Japan alone, the game has sold more than 670,000 copies from physical sales alone. It certainly deserves its success, as both its campaign and multiplayer build on the unique formula introduced in the original Wii U game.

But don’t expect Nintendo to stop supporting the 3DS just because the Switch is such a smash hit. To date, more than 67 million 3DS and 2DS systems have been sold, and Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia just released in May. September will also see the release of Metroid: Samus Returns, a remake of the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus.

Have you picked up a Nintendo Switch yet? What’s your favorite game for it? Let us know in the comments!

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
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Gaming

Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April

Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.

Gaming

What games will Nintendo Switch 2 launch with? We have some ideas

Mario and friends zip through a race course in Mario Kart 8.

We’re officially on “new console watch.” Reports from credible publications like Eurogamer say that Nintendo secretly showed developers its next system behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom. While it’s only a rumor, it’s a realistic one. We’re six years into the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan and even the longest-running consoles turn over at eight. If Nintendo’s next system is one or two years away, it’s time to start lining up support from third-party developers.

We’ve speculated on features we’d want in a new system before, but the reality of a new platform has me asking another question: What games would you launch with something like this? The Nintendo Switch’s launch day was crucial to its long-term success thanks to a bonafide classic in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While the rest of its launch lineup wasn’t as impressive, Nintendo capitalized fairly quickly with titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2. If Nintendo’s going to push Switch owners over to a new system, it’ll have to roll out the big guns.