According to IGN, Nintendo has confirmed it will “shift” its primary development focus to the Switch 2 platform after revealing record-breaking sales figures. The company disclosed that 84% of Switch 2 owners previously owned Switch 1 consoles, showing what Nintendo calls a “uniform migration” across platform generations. Between June 5 and September 30 alone, Nintendo sold an astonishing 10.36 million Switch 2 consoles, making it the biggest console launch ever. The company now has 128 million annual playing users and 34 million Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, with 400 million Nintendo Accounts registered overall. Nintendo’s sales presentation makes clear this transition strategy is working exactly as planned.
The Perfect Transition
Here’s the thing about that 84% number – it’s not just high, it’s perfectly distributed. Nintendo’s data shows Switch 2 owners came evenly from every year of the Switch 1’s lifespan, from launch buyers in 2017 right through to people who bought just before Switch 2 launched. That’s incredibly rare in console transitions. Usually you see heavy concentration from early adopters or recent buyers. But Nintendo has managed something remarkable: they’ve kept their entire audience engaged across nearly a decade.
The Business Strategy
So what’s Nintendo actually doing here? They’re executing the classic platform transition playbook, but with near-perfect timing. The early months have been about bridging generations – paid upgrades for existing games, cross-gen titles like Pokémon Legends Z-A, and a few exclusives to give people reasons to upgrade. Now they’re signaling the real shift: future development will be Switch 2-first, maybe even Switch 2-only. And why wouldn’t they? When you’re moving 10 million+ units in your first few months, you double down on what’s working.
Why This Matters
Look, console transitions are risky business. Companies can lose audience, momentum, everything. But Nintendo has basically engineered the opposite – they’re carrying forward nearly their entire user base while adding new players. That 128 million annual playing users number? That’s the foundation they’re building on. And as industry watchers have noted, this sets up Nintendo for what could be another decade of dominance. The question isn’t whether Switch 2 will be successful – we’re way past that. It’s how big this thing can actually get.
