Nintendo has already revealed what its Switch 2 console will look like and has also confirmed that Australians will be able to get their hands on it in May.

It comes as no surprise then that the existing eight-year-old Switch console will have seen weak sales results as gamers wait for the upcoming Switch 2 device.

Nintendo has revised its full-year forecast and said that it expects to sell 11 million units of the original Switch console, down from the 12.5 million previously.

It also now expects ¥280 billion (A$2.88 billion) in operating income in the fiscal year to March, shaving off more than a fifth from its prior forecast.

Nintendo Switch 2. Still from promotional video.

 

For the nine months ending December 31, 2024, Nintendo’s net sales were ¥956.2 billion (A$9.75 billion), down 31.4% year-on-year. Its net profit was reported to be ¥237.1 billion (A$2.4 billion), which was also a sharp 41.9% decrease year-on-year.

The Switch shipped 2.74 million units during the nine months ended in December 2024, a 19.4% decrease year-on-year compared to the 3.4 million units the company sold over the same period in the previous fiscal year.

Nintendo Switch 2. Still from promotional video.

 

Nintendo noted that 76.5% of sales were made overseas, with 43.6% in The Americas, 25.3% in Europe, and 7.6% in Japan.

The Switch has sold more than 1.3 billion copies of software and more than 150 million units of the handheld hardware.

Nintendo recently revealed a trailer of the upcoming Switch 2, but details on the hybrid console which can be connected to the TV via its dock are still scarce.

Nintendo Switch 2. Still from promotional video.

 

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said the Switch 2 successor will be backward-compatible, which implies that it can play games from the current platform.

Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO, appeared to suggest recently that Xbox games will be released for Switch 2. These titles could include Diablo 4 and Halo.

Spencer, in an interview with Gamertag Radio via VideoGamesChronicle, said, “I was exchanging emails with Furukawa-san, the CEO of Nintendo. I gave him a big congrats and said my old eyes appreciate the larger screen. I’m really looking forward to supporting them with the games that we have, and I just think they’re a really important part of this industry.”