Nintendo’s Switch has sold 2.4 million units worldwide in its debut month. This makes the Switch the fastest-selling Nintendo console in history. The figure comes courtesy of analyst firm SuperData in conjunction with NPD, Gfk in Europe, and Famitsu in Japan.
Out of that 2.4 million, the Switch sold nearly a million units in North America alone, specifically 906,000, during March. By comparison, this outstrips the Wii U’s launch holiday sales of 890,000, or November and December 2012 combined.
Nintendo also revealed that the system’s killer app, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, sold 1.5 million units, making it the fastest-selling entry in the Zelda series history. Zelda sold 925,000 copies on the Switch in North America, more than there are Switches in the wild and an attach rate over 100 percent. Nintendo’s explanation for the disparity was repeat purchases, as select fans purchased the regular release and the game’s special editions. Breath of the Wild also sold 460,000 units on Wii U, the console it was originally announced for.
Nintendo originally promised to ship 2 million Switches during the fiscal year ending March 31st. The Switch is off to a good start thanks in great part to the exceptional response to Breath of the Wild. Nintendo is pinning the system’s continued fortunes on a line-up that includes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, and Splatoon 2 in the coming months. Later this year, Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are set to bring holiday momentum to the system.
