Nintendo Switch 2 has sold less than expected in Western markets, according to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, despite overall results remaining strong.
Speaking during a meeting with investors, Furukawa described the console’s performance in the West as “slightly weaker” than expected. He clarified that Nintendo’s global sales forecast for hardware and software has not changed, but the breakdown by region differs from earlier estimates.
“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 explained.
“Furthermore, as you understand, domestic hardware sales volume exceeded our expectations, while overseas sales were slightly weaker than our expectations,” he added.
Despite the solid numbers achieved by the new console, Nintendo’s stock price dropped recently, highlighting investor concerns about regional performance.
Why Nintendo Switch 2 Is Stronger in Japan
In Japan, Nintendo Switch 2 has sold more units in its first year than the original Switch did over the same period, even though it has been on the market for less time. One possible reason is the region-locked model, which is sold locally at a much lower price.
However, according to Furukawa, the main factor is not pricing but software.
“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,” Furukawa said.
Outside Japan, the same level of hardware adoption did not occur. While Switch 2 continues to perform well overall, Nintendo acknowledges that Western players have been slower to move to the new system.
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