It may be a little hard to believe, but at this point, the Nintendo Switch launched almost four years ago. It’s been some time, and due to that, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser believes the Switch has just now, finally, entered the midpoint of its life cycle.
It was in an extensive interview with gaming website Polygon that Bowser discussed the company’s 2021 outlook, among other things. That includes how well the Switch performed and is performing during the COVID pandemic, as well as what the midpoint for both the standard Switch and more-affordable Switch Lite entails for the ecosystem of both platforms. According to Bowser, it means the company will “really lean into both platforms” while continuing to place special emphasis on the Switch’s unique console-handheld hybrid nature.
“[T]he way we build games onto the platform, and the way partners build games onto the platform, is really what matters and the experience that you have when you play,” Bowser said. “So that’s what we’ll continue to lean into as we go into really what will be the fifth year of Nintendo Switch. And as Mr. [Shuntaro] Furukawa [president of Nintendo] mentioned in his corporate management policy briefing, we believe we’re just at the midpoint of this life cycle on this platform.”
Bowser referenced Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa’s comments during the company’s corporate management policy briefing, in which Furukawa also said the Switch is “entering what we consider the middle of its lifecycle.” Both Bowser and Furukawa stated that there are still more titles in development for 2021 and the years following it. Of course, we shouldn’t really be surprised by that revelation considering that a midpoint in a life cycle is just halfway. It will probably be several more years before the Switch goes on a downturn with game releases. Currently, Nintendo has many major game titles in development, including but not limited to Bayonetta 3 and a brand new entry in the popular Metroid Prime series.
Even with the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 that came out in November, somehow the Nintendo Switch managed to outsell both of them during their launch month. The console-handheld hybrid pushed out 1.35 million units in the US, selling a total of 6.92 million units in the Americas in just this one year. As for why it managed to be so popular, it’s quite possible that it had something to do with the pandemic, and many people having to stay home. The Switch was one of the most affordable options for people that needed a game console to keep them entertained at home.
Of course, as far as the month of November is concerned, it’s possible that the stock issues with PlayStation and Xbox resulted in lower sales than the Switch, which had mostly dealt with its stock crisis earlier in the year. That said, the massive sales could always just be due to the popularity of the device.
