Nintendo raises Switch 2 sales forecast to 19 million units

Nintendo has raised its sales forecast for the Switch 2, now expecting to sell 19 million units by March 2025, up from 15 million previously.

The company also increased its full-year operating income forecast by 16% to ¥370 billion (US$2.4 billion).

Nintendo reported an operating profit of ¥88.25 billion (US$570 million) and revenue of ¥527.2 billion (US$3.4 billion) for the September quarter, both above analyst expectations.

The Switch 2, which launched this year at US$450, sold over 6 million units in its first seven weeks.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa cautioned that maintaining this sales momentum could be challenging due to the high price and global economic issues like US-China trade tensions and tariffs.

Nintendo is increasing production to meet demand, and Bloomberg reported the company has asked assembly partners to make 25 million units by March.

The holiday season is expected to further boost sales, especially in key markets like Japan and the US.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Switch 2’s reported 25M build plan faces tariff exposure across China, Vietnam, and Cambodia

Nintendo wants partners to build 25M systems by March 2025 across China, Vietnam, and Cambodia 1. About one-third are made in Vietnam 2. Units made there could see a proposed 20% that might lift retail from $450 to $500 2, while shipments from China could get a 145% U.S. tariff 3. Foxconn (a major electronics manufacturing services company) plans 4M annual capacity at a plant in the country by 2027 4, which trails the ask. Moving assembly to the U.S. would take years to add sites and hire workers 1, as seen with Apple’s shift to Vietnam and India 1.

Middleware and accessory makers should push DLSS 3.1 as dev kit rules tighten

Dev kit approval asks games to hit 4K at 60 frames per second (fps) when docked (connected to a TV) or up to 120 fps at 1440p 5. Features include GameShare (built-in gameplay sharing) and GameChat (in-game voice/text chat) 5. Mouse controls are included with HD Rumble 2 (an upgraded haptics system) 5. Middleware vendors (toolmakers building engine plugins and developer tools) should ship Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) 3.1 tools, since first-party titles use DLSS sparingly 6. Accessory makers should speed up work on C-button-capable controllers (controllers with additional small buttons for secondary inputs) and mouse-mode-compatible gear (mice or controllers that emulate mouse input) 6, which can help with dev kit approval 6. Strict rules and detailed release plans 5 reward early movers in tooling and middleware.