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That upward shift is largely down to a "positive trend" in global hardware sales for the Nintendo Switch, which sold a total of 15.05 million units during the fiscal year.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

April 26, 2018

2 Min Read

Sales and profits are on the up at Nintendo thanks to the performance of Switch hardware and software. 

According to the company's financials for the full-year ended March 31, 2018, net sales rose by 115.8 percent year-over-year to 1.05 trillion yen ($9.67 billion), while profits increased by 36.1 percent to 139.5 billion yen ($1.28 billion) over the same period. 

That upward shift is largely down to a "positive trend" in global hardware sales for the Nintendo Switch, which sold a total of 15.05 million units during the fiscal year (and has sold 17.79 million units in total). 

Switch software sales have also been bringing home the bacon, and the console amassed 12 million-seller titles during the fiscal year. The best performers were Super Mario Odyssey with 10.41 million units sold, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with 9.22 millions sales, and Splatoon 2 with 6.02 million units. 

Combined Switch software sales for the fiscal year totaled 63.51 million units, and that success wasn't limited to the Switch. 

The 3DS also got in on the action, pulling in yearly hardware sales of 6.4 million units and software sales of 35.64 million units. As you might've guessed, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were the portable console's star players, bringing in combined sales of 7.51 million. 

On the digital download front, Nintendo saw sales revenue rise by 87 percent to 60.8 billion yen ($556.9 million), and described the performance of its digital business as "very good" - especially on the Nintendo Switch. 

The company's smart-device related income also got a shot in the arm, rising by 62 percent year-over-year to 39.3 billion yen ($360 million). 

Moving forward, Nintendo believes the Switch will continue gathering momentum thanks to the introduction of new concepts like Nintendo Labo and the launch of "several hit titles."

 As such, it expects net sales and profits to reach 1.2 trillion yen ($11 billion) and 165 billion yen ($1.51 billion) respectively by the end of the next fiscal year on March 31, 2019. 

"Consumers have been very receptive to the new concept introduced by Nintendo Switch as a home gaming system that they can take with them to play anytime, anywhere, with anyone, which helped it maintain its favorable momentum during this fiscal year," explain the company. 

"Looking ahead, we plan to leverage this momentum to reach an even broader range of consumers and expand the installed base of the hardware."

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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