Report: Nintendo Switch is ‘barely in the middle’ of its cycle

The three-year-old Nintendo Switch still has quite a long lifespan remaining, according to reports from Nintendo’s latest investor Q&A.

Investment advisor David Gibson, who attended Nintendo’s presentation, said that Nintendo’s representative said that the console was “barely in the middle” of its life cycle.

This puts 2023 as the expected end of the cycle for the Switch family, in line with Nintendo’s previous consoles. The Wii was released in 2006, which was followed by the Wii U in 2012. A similar gap can be seen with the company’s handhelds, with the DS released in 2004 and 3DS in 2011.

The Nintendo Switch family, including the handheld-only alternative Switch Lite, has sold over 55.77 million units. It’s on track to become the second-most popular home console in terms of hardware sales, closing in on the NES’ hold on the runners-up position.

Three years on, the Switch hardware and software have still experienced an increase in sales, thanks to a blockbuster slate of releases in the past year. Titles like Pokémon Sword and Shield and Animal Crossing: New Horizons were massive contributors, clocking in at over 10 million units sold in the past year.

The latest installment of Animal Crossing proved to be a colossal hit. New Horizons sold more in its first six weeks compared to the lifetime totals of the Nintendo DS’ Wild World and 3DS’ New Leaf.

With upcoming heavy hitters due to release, like a definitive edition of the action RPG Xenoblade Chronicles and an unnamed sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there’s still a lot more mileage left in the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo’s full presentation slides are available for viewing here.