© Nintendo LifeNintendo has sold 1 million Switch consoles in China since the system launched in the country in late 2019, according to its Chinese partner Tencent. This indicates that Nintendo has already surpassed Microsoft and Sony as the biggest console seller in China.
According to Daniel Ahmad of Niko Partners, it is estimated that the total installed base of the Switch in the country is over 4 million units, taking into account the various units imported from outside of China. Ahmed also confirms that with sales of 1 million units since 2019, the Switch surpassed the combined sales of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in the same period.
China is the largest video game market in the world, but it is dominated by mobile and PC games, with consoles being considered a kind of niche proposition. Until 2014, consoles were banned in the region – but that is exactly why China is such an important territory to succeed, because there is enormous growth potential, unlike North America, Japan or Europe.
Niko Partners believes that China’s console market revenue will rise to $ 2.15 billion in 2024 – making it twice as large as it was in 2019 – and being the leader in such a lucrative market will only help Nintendo. The popularity of the Switch in China will also help Nintendo increase its sales targets for the console, which sold 68.30 million units worldwide on September 30, 2020.
Nintendo is forecasting that it will sell 24 million Switch units in the year ending March 2021.