The Nintendo Switch celebrates its second anniversary
On March 3, 2017, the Nintendo Switch made its worldwide debut, instantly becoming a hit. Fans new and old alike could enjoy what the Switch had to offer, especially due to the fact that one of the launch titles was the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Other titles were available as well, such as the co-op focused Snipperclips, a beloved indie in the form of Shovel Knight, and the somewhat gimmicky 1-2 Switch. For those that wanted something more, a sequel to Splatoon, a port of Mario Kart 8, the unexpected Fire Emblem Warriors, a weird crossover that was Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, the new competitive IP Arms, and dozens of other games were all slated to release in the coming months.
Within the console's first year on the market, it had sold over 10 million units, and would go on to surpass its predecessor, the Wii U, quite handily. The first anniversary of the Switch arrived quickly, with our recap from last year going into full detail of the system's initial year on the market.
As of today, March 3, 2019, we've reached the second anniversary of the Nintendo Switch. A lot has changed in the past year, with a multitude of surprise reveals, tons of new successes, and lots of sales. And I mean a lot. Shortly after the celebration of the Nintendo Switch's first anniversary, Nintendo made a bold claim, stating that they expected to sell 20 million more Switch consoles within the coming fiscal year. Analysts and industry experts were skeptical of such a projection, but the company was more than confident that they could pull it off, with both Nintendo JP president Shuntaro Furukawa and NOA CEO Reggie Fils-Aime expecting stellar performance from the Switch. Although we won't know the exact results until the fiscal year comes to a close at the end of this month, Nintendo recently dialed back its target to a lower number of 17 million units shifted.
Though it's unlikely that Nintendo will reach that 20 million mark, having gotten so close is nothing short of impressive, and it goes to show just how successful the Switch was throughout 2018. Currently, the Nintendo Switch has sold a whopping 32.27 million units, already having outsold the Nintendo Wii U, the GameCube, and soon enough, it'll even surpass the sales of the Nintendo 64.
Of course, people are buying the console for a reason, and that reason tends to be the large lineup of available games. 2018 saw the release of a bevvy of exclusives, such as Super Mario Party, Mario Tennis Aces, Pokemon Let's Go, Octopath Traveler, Kirby Star Allies, and of course, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Multiplatform games also made their way to the Switch in droves, with both indie and AAA developers benefiting from high software sales by releasing their games for the platform. This past year has certainly proved that the Switch is a juggernaut, and exactly what Nintendo needed.
However, despite the popularity and success, not everything was perfect. The controversial Nintendo Switch Online service launched last year, with many of its users being skeptical, unimpressed, and disappointed. Though we find ourselves in 2019, Nintendo still lags behind the competition in terms of online infrastructure, and that can be off-putting to those who want to use the service.
As the second year of the Switch comes to a close, we turn our heads to look towards the future. New hardware rumors are still rampant; will we perhaps see a newer, improved version of Nintendo's hybrid console by the time its third anniversary rolls around? How will the Nintendo Switch Online service have changed by this same time next year? We also have many more new games to look forward to, such as Animal Crossing, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Luigi's Mansion 3, the Link's Awakening remake, Daemon X Machina, Yoshi's Crafted World, and so much more. After these past two years, what are your thoughts on the Nintendo Switch, and what upcoming things are you excited for?
Review Retrospective
Kirby Star Allies - 7/10 Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition - 8.2/10 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - 8.5/10 Mario Tennis Aces - 8.5/10 Octopath Traveler - 9/10 Super Mario Party - 8.2/10 The World Ends With You: Final Remix - 9.3/10 Pokemon: Let's Go - 8.2/10 Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition - 9.7/10 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - 9/10
