US: +900 000 units for the Nintendo Switch in March, over 100% attach-rate for Breath of the Wild
Shortly after launch, Reggie Fils-Aimé revealed that the Nintendo Switch was off to a great start in the United States, with higher sales during the first 2 days than the Wii. As for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it was the best-selling stand-alone launch title in Nintendo’s history in the country.
And yesterday, Nintendo finally shared some concrete numbers via a press release. During March, the Nintendo Switch sold over 906 000 units (according to the NPD), making it one of the “fastest-selling video game system of all time”, and the fastest-selling video game system in Nintendo’s history. Naturally, Nintendo didn’t forget to mention this was done in a “nontraditional month for a console launch”.
Since the Nintendo Switch was heavily supply constrained throughout March, it’s safe to assume that it would have sold well over 1 million units if Nintendo had been able to keep up with demand.
While Nintendo Switch sales are off to a record-breaking start, shipments have not yet been able to keep up with such high demand. Nintendo is working to make sure everyone who wants a system is able to buy one, and more systems are continually being shipped.
As for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, both versions sold over 1.3 million units (retail + digital), with:
- 925 000 units for the Nintendo Switch version
- almost 460 000 units for the Wii U version version
Yes, you’re not mistaken, and Nintendo’s numbers are also accurate: more copies of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild were sold than actual Nintendo Switch units. There’s several possible explanations for such an unusual attach-rate (over 100%): players may have bought several copies (regular and Limited Edition for example), and some may have bought the game without the console (expecting a bundle and/or price drop, for example).
On April 27th, Nintendo will share more detailed sales data along with the latest financial results.
Source: Nintendo PR
