While the console first launched over four years ago, the Nintendo Switch has managed to maintain its popularity during all that time. In fact, the Nintendo Switch is arguably the most popular its ever been as a result of its numerous successful console-exclusive games and a large amount of ports of third-party titles. Though, the true scale of how many console units have been produced has been hard to measure.
Last year marked the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many people confined to their homes during quarantine, many looked to video games as an outlet to keep them occupied and engaged while staying at home. This caused Nintendo Switch sales to skyrocket, but with such a high influx of people buying consoles, Nintendo had to continue to produce console units to meet the excessive demand.
In a recent Nikkei article, a Japanese publication, it was reported that Nintendo had produced over 30 million console units last year in order to keep up with the ever increasing demand of the Nintendo Switch. In a way, this makes a lot of sense, given that highly anticipated titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons released last year exclusively for the Switch. In fact, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the highest selling Nintendo Switch game last year, selling over 31 million units.
It's arguably impressive to see how much popularity and attention the Switch has received over the last year, and that success has shown absolutely no sign of slowing down. There are plenty of upcoming Switch titles that Nintendo fans have plenty of reason to be excited for, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, which will give new fans plenty of reason to purchase the console. However, Nintendo has been rather silent in terms of its more eye-catching series.
Other than teaser trailers, there hasn't been any word regarding the active development of games like Breath of the Wild 2, or Bayonetta 3, or Metroid Prime 4. There has been little but radio silence from Nintendo ever since these games were first announced. It could simply come down to the fact that Nintendo wants to show fans something more substantial in the short term, but some fans have been waiting for an update for years.
In any case, it will be interesting to see what the future holds in terms of the Nintendo Switch. There have been rumors of a Nintendo Switch Pro being in the works, according to various sources. Although, much like the aforementioned Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4, there's no official word from Nintendo that explains when fans can expect the console to release.
Source: Nikkei (via VideoGamesChronicle)
