Nintendo Switch game console shatters sales forecasts

The Japanese gaming company Nintendo has predicted the year ending March 2021 will be a bumper year for its Switch games console. Executives said sales will be 26 per cent higher than initial forecasts. It expects to... ship 24 million of its consoles by the end of the financial year. This is a 26 per cent increase from the previous forecast. The company said the rise in demand for the Switch console is partly attributable to a pandemic-driven boom in gaming. Millions of people have been staying indoors because of COVID-19 and have invested in a new games console. The result has provided Nintendo with an extra reason for optimism - its operating profit forecast is up by 50 per cent to $4.3 billion.

The Nintendo Switch was unveiled in October 2016 and released worldwide in 2017. It is a hybrid console that can be used as either a home console or a portable, standalone device. It has controllers with motion sensing and tactile feedback. These can attach to both sides of the console to support handheld-style play like that of the Nintendo Wii. Gamers can play online through Internet connectivity, as well as with other consoles on a local wireless network. Developers have created over 320 games for the console, many from third-party companies. Switch sales have been led by Nintendo-created games such as The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart 8, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Animal Crossing.