Nintendo has discussed the fact that Switch 2 hardware sales were lower than expected outside Japan towards the end of 2025.
Speaking to shareholders this week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that “overseas sales were slightly weaker than our expectations,” something that had previously been reported and discussed with IGN by analysts, though not stated out loud by the company itself.
Still, in an investor meeting following the release of this week’s latest financial earnings, Nintendo shareholders repeatedly questioned the company on its western sales shortfall, even as the Switch 2 overperforms within its homeland of Japan.
“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,” Furukawa said, via machine translation.
“Furthermore, as you understand, domestic hardware sales volume exceeded our expectations, while overseas sales were slightly weaker than our expectations,” he continued.
Sales figures collated by The Game Business last month showed that U.S. Switch 2 sales over the holiday period were down around 35% versus the Switch 1’s first holiday sales performance back in 2017. In the UK, a similar comparison saw Switch 2 lagging Switch 1 by 16%. Even in Nintendo’s homeland of Japan, Switch 2 holiday sales couldn’t match Switch 1, and were down by 5.5% over the year’s final nine weeks.
In France, 2025’s final tally of Switch 2 sales was down by “over 30%” versus the amount Switch 1 notched up back in 2017, meanwhile.
While these numbers may take some of the shine off of a successful first year for Switch 2 overall, it’s not all doom and gloom. Switch 2’s lifetime sales in Japan are still above what Switch 1 managed in its first year, with less time on sale. And in the UK, Switch 1 continued to sell well enough that it made up Switch 2’s holiday sales deficit.
Asked for more detail on why hardware sales in Japan were doing better than expected, Furukawa has now highlighted the release of two games in particular that had resonated with the country’s audience: Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and the Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders.
“We believe that the reason for the stronger-than-expected hardware sales in Japan is that, amid the continued momentum of the initial launch of the Switch 2 hardware, new titles such as Pokémon Legends: Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Kirby Air Riders, released during the holiday shopping season, [leading] to a relatively high trend of existing Switch owners switching to the Switch 2 compared to overseas.”
While the Pokémon franchise is hugely popular globally, it enjoys a particular level of devotion within Japan. Kirby games also sell especially well in the country, with mixed success historically overseas. Essentially, then, Furukawa is suggesting that the Switch 2’s level of success in Japan has been fuelled by two titles that have resonated particularly well with Japanese audiences.
It’s a statement that gels well with what a recent, unnamed western Nintendo source reportedly said of the company’s softer Switch 2 sales overseas, which were blamed on the lack of a key first-party game for the holidays. The remark raised eyebrows at the time due to the fact it appeared to overlook Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (as Metroid Prime has traditionally been seen as a sub-franchise with a stronger western following than in Japan). However, as we learned this week, Metroid Prime 4 has indeed gotten off to a slow start sales-wise, something Nintendo appeared to have anticipated to some degree.
There was next to no mention of Metroid Prime 4 in Nintendo’s financial results this week, and no sign of its Switch or Switch 2 versions on the company’s lists of million copy-selling games. Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders was recorded as having sold 1.76 million units since its arrival on November 20, but there was no mention of how well Metroid Prime 4 had fared following its arrival on December 4.
Following the launch of Metroid Prime 4, Nintendo admitted that it knew the game’s open-world concept risked feeling outdated. Last month, Metroid Prime producer and Nintendo veteran Kensuke Tanabe abruptly announced that the game would be his last project for the company after four decades of service. When contacted for more detail by IGN, Nintendo did not comment.
Overall, Switch 2 remains Nintendo’s fastest-selling console at launch ever, with an explosive arrival propelled by the recent success of the original Switch (something it, in turn, didn’t have as it followed Wii U). But all eyes will be on Nintendo now to shore up its line-up of Switch 2 games for the rest of 2026 — when fans hope they’ll finally get a new 3D Mario platformer in time for Christmas.
Upcoming first-party Switch 2 games include Mario Tennis Fever (February 12), Pokémon Pokopia (March 5), Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park (March 26), Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (April 16), and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, which has a vague “spring” launch window. Simply listed for 2026 are Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Rhythm Heaven Groove and Pokémon Champions, while Splatoon Raiders has a “TBA” launch date.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
