UNIT SALES EXPECTED TO REACH 40 MILLION BY 2020
January 23, 2017
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – Video Game Industry analyst firm DFC Intelligence has issued a new brief with forecasts for the Nintendo Switch game system scheduled to launch March 3 of this year. Current forecasts for the system are to obtain cumulative hardware unit sales of 40 million by the end of 2020. This is almost three times what the Nintendo Wii U sold in its first four years on the market.
The Switch combines a portable game system with a television based console system into an innovative new product that could open up new types of gameplay. Initial hardware shipments will be limited and there will not be a great deal of software for the system at launch. Nevertheless, initial demand is expected to be strong and the major issue will be whether the system can attract a broad audience starting in the holiday sales season of 2017.
“The Switch is a compelling piece of hardware that could potentially reach a much larger addressable market,” said DFC analyst David Cole. “However given the limited software and Nintendo’s poor recent track record of introducing new products we have tempered our forecasts to be conservative.” The report notes that in 2008 alone Nintendo sold a combined 55 million units of the Wii and DS and sales of a major hit console or portable platform can reach over 100 million.
DFC is noted for its conservative forecasts for new products which are updated every few months based on changing market conditions. As part of its forecasting service, DFC has also announced the introduction of its upcoming games outlook service. This service tracks over 200 of the biggest upcoming games for console and PC platforms, including new titles for the Nintendo Switch. “Hardware sales do not exist in a vacuum. Much of our forecasting is driven by bottom up analysis of products in the pipeline that are expected to drive sales,” said DFC analyst Jeremy Miller. “We are launching this service because we feel it is crucial for companies active in the marketplace to understand what will be in the channel in the next few months.”
The new brief on the Nintendo Switch is available at DFC’s web site. For more information on DFC’s upcoming game forecasting service, you can contact us here.
About DFC Intelligence:
DFC Intelligence (http://www.dfcint.com) is a strategic market research and consulting firm focused on interactive entertainment and the emerging video game, online game, interactive entertainment and portable game markets. Since 1995, DFC has published in-depth strategic market reports and subscription-based research services. DFC research is used by more than 300 leading companies in over 30 countries worldwide.
DFC Intelligence game industry forecasts are updated throughout the year to account for current trends and new products. The forecasts are available in multiple forecasts that include pdf reports, Excel spreadsheets and online access. Clients can purchase forecasts on a one off or on an ongoing basis. It is also possible to custom pull specific forecasts on a given range.
Through the first quarter of 2017, DFC Intelligence is offering a special on its 2017 Forecast Service that includes both current 2016 forecasts and upcoming 2017 forecasts. For information on this package contact DFC at info@dfcint.com.
CONTACT:
Robert Nolan
info@dfcint.com
(804) 938-0030
