Sunday, 14 March 2021 15:02

Nintendo Expects to Break Software Sales Records Due to Major Unannounced Games

Written by Dalton Cooper
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According to a new report, Nintendo has ambitious goals for the next fiscal year, which will include smashing its software sales record.

While things were looking grim during the Wii U era, Nintendo has bounced back in a major way with the Switch. The Nintendo Switch has been a massive success for the company, recently selling enough units to become the second-best selling Nintendo console of all time, right behind the Wii. Nintendo Switch games have also enjoyed strong software sales, and in fact, Nintendo plans on breaking its software sales record in the next fiscal year.

According to a new report by Bloomberg, Nintendo has said that it plans on shipping a staggering 250 million software units in the next fiscal year, which is from April 2021 to March 2022. This incredible sales number will reportedly be due to "marquee game releases" and a strong lineup of "blockbuster software" combined with the launch of the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro console. If Nintendo attains this goal, it will have zipped past its current record, which is 204.6 million software units in 2008 (itself expected to be beaten when Nintendo reports its results for the current fiscal year, as it expected to ship 205 million software units).

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Selling 250 million software units is going to be a huge challenge for Nintendo, as it is 45 million units higher than it has ever sold in any given fiscal year. Some of the games that it will hope to accomplish this goal with include Mario Golf: Super RushNew Pokemon SnapThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. This could also mean that 2022 games like Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Splatoon 3 will be released within the first few months of 2022.

Of course, this could also be a sign that some Nintendo Switch exclusives without release dates will also be available by March 2022. This could include games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, which is currently without any kind of release window, as well as Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4. While some of these will almost certainly release in 2022, it's also possible that Nintendo will launch some later in 2021 as well.

As it stands, Nintendo's fall and winter 2021 lineup is mostly a mystery beyond Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Besides games that have already been announced, it's probable that Nintendo has some other titles in development that will launch this holiday season to bolster the Switch's lineup of games, though what those games are remains to be seen. If rumors of the Nintendo Switch Pro console launching in late 2021 hold true, then maybe Nintendo is planning to drop a bunch of software alongside the new system to give it a launch boost.

Of course, most of this is just speculation at this time. Nintendo has not revealed many of its specific plans for the next fiscal year beyond trying to ship 250 million software units. Perhaps fans will find out more during the likely E3 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation expected to take place this summer.

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Source: Bloomberg

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