The Nintendo Switch has crossed another major sales milestone in Japan. As of this week, the system has sold 12.8 million units in the country (thanks, Nintendo Life), which means that, in just over three years, the system has outsold the Wii in its country of origin.
This observation was made by analyst Daniel Ahmad on Twitter, who noted that the system sold about 390,000 units in Japan this week–the biggest week the system has ever had, thanks to the incredible popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which just had the best Japanese launch for a Switch game ever.
As Ahmad points out, Nintendo managed to supply units for Animal Crossing’s launch at a time where the system is facing production issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic–right now it’s very difficult to buy a Switch in the US, and in Japan it’s much easier to find a Switch Lite than a regular Switch.
Nintendo Switch hardware sell through exceeded 390k this week in Japan.
– Sales driven by AC launch.
– Record week for Switch HW, beating original 2017 launch week.
– Launch of new Coral Lite / AC Limited Edition.
– Lite easier to find than OG model given recent shortages. pic.twitter.com/oNeOu9NjJm— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 25, 2020
Fairly notable that Nintendo were able to build up a large supply of units for AC launch week, will be interesting to see how supply holds up in the following weeks.
The Nintendo Switch has also surpassed the Wii in lifetime hardware sales (12.7m).
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 25, 2020
Nintendo’s handhelds have always done very well in Japan, so the hybrid nature of the Switch has no doubt been a factor in its success–the Nintendo DS sold just under 33 million units in Japan. The Switch accounted for 76% of all console sales in Japan in 2019.
While the Switch has outsold the Wii in Japan, its worldwide sales are still a long way behind–the Wii sold over 101 million units in its lifetime, while the Switch has sold a bit over 52 million, as of January 2020. There’s a very good chance of the console overtaking the Wii in lifetime sales eventually, however.
If you’re struggling to get your own Switch right now, here’s our guide on how to buy one in these difficult times. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy right now as it usually is.
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