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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Former Digital Trends Contributor

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

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