Switch 2 physical third-party game sales reportedly "very low" following huge console launch

by Danny Craig  · 
Switch 2 physical third-party game sales reportedly "very low" following huge console launch
CD Projekt Red

According to reports, despite the Nintendo Switch 2 being one of, if not the largest console launches in history, third-party game sales are significantly lower than publisher estimates.

The details:

  • In a new report from The Game Business, NielsenIQ estimates that first-party releases accounted for 86% of Switch 2 physical game sales in the UK during its launch week. However, when the console's Mario Kart World bundle is excluded, the figure drops to 48%. It also only includes Switch 2-only titles, as Nintendo only physically released Mario Kart World and the Switch 2 Editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, while there were 13 third-party releases.

  • It's said that "most third-party Switch 2 games posted very low numbers," with one undisclosed publisher stating that sales are "below our lowest estimates." However, CD Projekt Red's port of Cyberpunk 2077 appears to be an exception, doing "reasonable numbers" and becoming the best-selling third-party release.

  • According to the report, the figures are an improvement over the original Switch, when first-party games accounted for 89% of physical game sales in the UK. It's worth noting that, despite this, the Switch 1 launched with Breath of the Wild, which was a major draw for the console as many people passed over the Wii U, and that many Nintendo fans likely paid for the digital Switch 2 upgrade rather than a new physical copy.

  • With so many third-party publishers releasing games in the new "Game-Key Card" format, it's no surprise that sales for all games except Cyberpunk 2077 are low. Despite being categorized as "physical" releases, the cards require digital downloads to play, whereas Cyberpunk was released on a traditional cartridge that included the entire game.

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