Furukawa Explains Why They Revised Their Switch Target From 20 Million Units To 17 Million

During the fiscal results for the 9 months ending December 31, 2018, Nintendo revised their Nintendo Switch sales target for the 2018 fiscal year from 20 million systems down to 17 million units.

An investor at the Q&A session asked Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa why was the target reduced by 3 million, and wanted to know more about Nintendo’s strategy for the next fiscal year.

First, Furukawa pointed out three major Nintendo Switch titles were released in time for the holiday season – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pokemon Let’s GO Pikachu/Eevee, and Super Mario Party. Thanks to these three titles, sales during this third quarter (holiday season) drastically increased over the 2017 holiday season.

Despite the holiday season boost, it wasn’t enough to meet the 20 million Switch target, as Furukawa felt the company did not do enough to convey the appeal of Nintendo Switch and its games to consumers.

Furukawa further explained saying Nintendo Switch sales between April 2018 and September 2018 were “slightly higher” than the same period the previous year, but the increase was not large enough so it affected their forecast and sales target for this fiscal year.

Last but not least, although Furukawa couldn’t comment on the company’s strategy for the next fiscal year, he briefly summed it as “increasing the appeal of the Nintendo Switch to consumers, and ensuring the lineup of new upcoming titles is full to the brim.”

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks, Brandon.