Nintendo has reported massive increases in sales this year, with millions of people buying hardware and games, despite the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic keeps giving. For Nintendo, the pandemic means a leap in profits by more than 240%. Since more people are at home, they have nothing else to do but work, watch Netflix, and play video games.

Nintendo Profits

Kotaku reports that Nintendo’s year-on-year net sales have jumped by 73.3%. On the other hand, the company’s net profit spiked by 243.6%, which netted Nintendo 213 billion yen ($2 billion). 

Well, Nintendo is doing great: https://t.co/Jd21E20Owm pic.twitter.com/Q1Gte5iiR0

— Kotaku (@Kotaku) November 5, 2020

Nintendo Sales

Millions of consumers also bought Nintendo’s hardware this year. Nintendo reported sales of 12.53 million units worldwide. This number marks an 80.9% year on year increase. About 8.36 million units were Switches, while 5.17 million were Switch Lites.

Moreover, millions of people also bought Nintendo’s software. They bought physical and digital versions of the games. In 2019, Nintendo sold 54.98 million games during the same period. This year, that number jumped to 100.25 million. Nintendo’s best-sellers were the following games:

•     Animal Crossing: New Horizons (14.27 million units)
•     Super Mario 3D All-Stars (5.21 million units)
•     Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (4.21 million units)
•     Ring Fit Adventure (3.11 million units)

This year, the company reported a 139% increase in digital sales. That increase netted Nintendo 171.5 billion yen ($1.7 billion). Of the 20 Switch games that sold at least 1 million copies, Nintendo published 15. 

Nintendo’s Future

Nintendo expects a 50% increase in net profit for this financial year. Last year, they expected to sell 19 million Switches, but now they forecast 24 million. This figure is also higher than the 21 million units sold last year. 

The company also expects to sell 170 million games, up from the earlier forecast of 140 million. Last year, Nintendo’s sold 168 million units.

The post Nintendo Keeps Surging During Covid-19 first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Sam Arnold

COVID-19 has worked wonders for Nintendo. As the pandemic continues to force everyone to stay home, the company continues to enjoy a high demand for the Nintendo Switch. 

Consumer Demand for the Nintendo Switch

Bloomberg reports that Nintendo has ramped up Switch production by 20%. In the report, Nintendo has asked its production partners to increase output by 30 million units for the 2020 fiscal year. Earlier, the Japanese game company has targeted 19 million units. Then, Nintendo increased the target to 22 million, until upping it again to 25 million. 

The Runaway Success of Animal Crossing

According to Bloomberg, the smashing success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the high Switch demand. Engadget adds that the console keeps getting sold out in some markets. Sometimes, you can only buy overpriced stock on Amazon. 

Nintendo is ramping Switch production again following COVID-19 sales surge https://t.co/RkmazQgiID pic.twitter.com/Q81JgIF3QE

— Engadget (@engadget) September 9, 2020

People stuck at home are running out of ways to entertain themselves. In times of need, they are turning to video games. 

The Future of the Nintendo Switch

Despite a target of just 19 million consoles, Nintendo has already sold 11.4 million Switches in the last two quarters. 

Nintendo also looks to take advantage of this demand. For next year, Nintendo may be coming out with a new Switch model. Reports say that Nintendo may release a high-end Switch. The company has asked game developers to make 4K upgrades of their games.

Engadget reports that Nintendo may also release more Switch models soon, with high-resolution panels made by Sharp.

The post Nintendo Boosts Switch Production to 30M Units first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins

Nintendo might be stepping back from this year’s round of the console wars. However, the Japanese company plans to come back strong next year. Reports have surfaced that Nintendo plans to release an upgraded Nintendo Switch in 2021.  

What’s So Special About the New Switch?

Engadget reports that the new Nintendo Switch could be beefier than the previous versions. According to reports, the new model could add more graphics power and support 4K graphics. Moreover, this Switch could come with a bunch of new games. Nintendo looks to make up for a light roster of new games this year with a set of new releases in 2021. 

Bloomberg: Nintendo is working on a 4K-capable Switch for 2021 https://t.co/WP7CQbAIBE pic.twitter.com/9fRen6W2MD

— Engadget (@engadget) August 25, 2020

This report comes after earlier rumors that Nintendo was going to release two new models of the Switch this year.  

Other Nintendo Switch Models

Nintendo had already released a version 2 of its original Switch in 2019. The new version gives you 9 hours of playing time while keeping the custom NVIDIA Tegra CPU and its 4GB of RAM. Also, the company released the Switch Lite, which is the same console, but without the dock and detachable Joy-Cons.  

A Strong Year for Nintendo

2020 continues to be a fantastic year for Nintendo, as the Switch and Switch Lite keeps selling out in stores. Games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons have also rested on top of the sales charts, which boosted Switch sales further. 

However, Microsoft and Sony are gearing up for their launch dates later this year. Both the Xbox Series X and Sony PS5 are more powerful consoles, with brand new launch exclusives. Without a ready console, Nintendo could be making the smart play in sitting this one out yet.

The post Nintendo Working on New 4K-Ready Switch For 2021 first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins

COVID-19 has forced people worldwide to stay at home, which means more people are turning to video games to help pass the time. Profits for game companies have increased during the pandemic. For example, the Japanese gaming giant Nintendo has reported massive earnings for the April-June quarter.  

Nintendo’s Hits: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo says the new game Animal Crossing: New Horizons brought in the most money. This spike in the game’s sales also meant a sales spike for Nintendo’s latest hit console, the Switch.

In the last quarter, Nintendo gained 145 billion yen in operating profit, which is an increase of 428%, off revenue of 357 billion yen. In US dollars, those amounts equal $1.37 billion and $3.3 billion, respectively.

The Verge reports that Nintendo has now sold 61.44 million Switch consoles, including the 5.68 million sold in the last quarter. Switch sales have risen by 166%.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons sales have hit 22 million, as Nintendo profits rise by more than 500% year-on-year. https://t.co/ElLbYOU74w pic.twitter.com/Lr4fsqHg9F

— IGN (@IGN) August 6, 2020

Nintendo’s Hits: Animal Crossing

After selling over 10 million units in the last quarter, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is Nintendo’s second best-selling game, after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The company has sold 22.4 million copies of New Horizons. This latest title has also outsold all the previous Animal Crossing titles by over 10 million copies. 

In the same report, Nintendo said that over half of the people who bought the Switch in the last quarter played the new Animal Crossing.

What’s Next for Nintendo?

COVID-19 has affected the production of the Switch, but the game company says it’s now slowly recovering. The company has also assured customers that they make sure to produce enough consoles and games for the holiday season. However, no news has appeared yet on future big Nintendo games. 

Both Sony and Microsoft will launch their next-gen consoles during the holidays.

The post Nintendo Profits Rise By 400% From Animal Crossing Sales first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Sam Arnold