While Nintendo’s Switch 2 has achieved record-breaking hardware sales to become one of the fastest-selling consoles ever, third-party game sales have reportedly underperformed significantly, falling “below estimates” according to industry analysis.

A new report from The Game Business indicates that despite strong publisher support from major companies, including EA, Take-Two, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Sega, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, CD Projekt, and Konami, most third-party Switch 2 games have posted disappointing sales figures.

According to NielsenIQ data, CD Projekt’s Cyberpunk 2077 currently leads third-party Switch 2 sales.

However, report author Christopher Dring noted that while third-party publishers “appear to have done slightly better during the launch of Switch 2 compared with Switch 1,” the overall performance remains concerning.

“Most third-party Switch 2 games posted very low numbers,” Dring wrote.

“One third-party publisher characterised the numbers as ‘below our lowest estimates’, despite strong hardware sales.”

The comparison to the original Switch launch may be misleading, as the Switch 2 launched with 13 physical games compared to just five for the original console: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, 1-2-Switch, Just Dance 2017, Skylanders Imaginators, and Super Bomberman R.

The report suggests several factors may have contributed to weak third-party sales, including the lack of early review units distributed to press outlets.

This absence of timely professional reviews may have hindered consumer purchasing decisions, as buyers had limited critical assessments available during the launch window.

Despite higher console sales volumes providing a larger potential customer base than the original Switch launch, third-party software has failed to capitalise on the expanded install base.

The disconnect between hardware success and third-party software performance presents a significant challenge for publishers who invested heavily in Switch 2 development and marketing.

The situation echoes historical console launches where strong hardware adoption doesn’t immediately translate to proportional software sales.

The performance gap raises questions about consumer purchasing patterns, game quality, pricing strategies, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns for third-party titles competing alongside Nintendo’s first-party offerings.

The early third-party software performance may influence publisher strategies for future Switch 2 releases, potentially affecting development budgets, marketing investments, and release timing decisions.

Publishers will likely monitor whether sales improve as the console’s install base grows and more consumers move beyond launch window purchases.

The situation highlights the ongoing challenge third-party publishers face on Nintendo platforms, where first-party titles typically dominate sales charts and consumer attention.