Nintendo Switch 2 sales in the West ‘slightly weaker’ than expected

Nintendo might have the fastest-selling console ever with the Switch 2, but there are concerns around its impact in territories outside of Japan.

The Switch 2’s launch has been a resounding success with over 17.37 million units sold worldwide in less than a year, but there are some concerns beneath the surface at Nintendo.

Despite being the fastest-selling console ever, Switch 2 sales were lower than expected outside of Japan, by the tail end of 2025. There were already rumbles of this earlier this year, with Christmas sales for the Switch 2 in the US down 35% compared to the original Switch’s first festive season, while sales in the UK dropped 16%.

As reported by The Game Business, there were other drops elsewhere too, with Switch 2 sales in France being down by ‘over 30%’ compared to the original Switch in 2017. Similarly, even in Japan, sales were down 5.5% in the final nine weeks of 2025.

Switch 2 sales are outpacing those of the original Switch overall, but Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has acknowledged the ‘slightly weaker’ sales in Western markets over the past financial quarter.

When asked about sales in the West during an earnings call (via machine translation), Furukawa said: ‘While our forecasted global hardware and software sales volume remains unchanged, the breakdown by region and product is based on different assumptions from the revised forecast announced at the time of our second-quarter financial results announcement.

‘Furthermore, as you understand, domestic hardware sales volume exceed our expectations, while oversea sales were slightly weaker than our expectations.’

While it’s unclear why sales have faltered in the West, albeit slightly, Nintendo did acknowledge that the ‘stronger-than-expected’ sales in Japan are perhaps due to the appeal of Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Kirby Air Riders in the region.

Historically, Kirby games have never been as successful in Western territories, so cross-gen Pokémon title aside, there wasn’t a big Switch 2 exclusive to drive sales overseas during the Christmas break.

Elsewhere in its recent financials, Nintendo reported a lower-than-expected 23% rise in operating income. As reported by Bloomberg, this has seemingly spooked investors, with Nintendo shares falling by 10.98% following its latest earnings call.

Nintendo has been the worst hit, but all Japanese publishers has been affected, with Capcom down by 9.86% and Konami by 8.28%.

It’s reflective of how fickle investors are, and how little they tend to understand the games industry, but also of uncertainties elsewhere – between the disruptions from US tariffs and the announcement of Google Project Genie, which has tanked shares across various gaming companies over the past week.

Another ongoing concern is the memory chip shortage, but Furukawa did state that the surge in memory prices didn’t significantly impact Nintendo’s hardware profitability during the Christmas season, and he doesn’t expect it will during the next fourth quarter.

However, if these price surges for memory continue, Furukawa acknowledged this could impact Nintendo’s profitability in the long run, in the next financial year. This, however, would not lead to a price increase for the Switch 2 in isolation.

‘Price changes will be determined comprehensively, taking into account not only profitability but also the adoption of the platform, sales trends and market conditions,’ he said (via VGC).

In other words, it’s unlikely we’ll see a price increase for the Switch 2 anytime soon, and it sounds like Nintendo is trying to avoid it entirely if possible.

The big question hanging over the Switch 2 is what the system’s killer app will be this year, which could accelerate interest in the West. However, Nintendo’s stubborn refusal to announce a first party Nintendo Direct means there’s still no hint of when major new games could be announced.

Although there is a chance that the next mainline Pokémon games could at least be hinted at this month, in the Pokemon Presents showcase due on February 27.

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