What History Shows About Nintendo Switch Launch Lineup
Let’s take a quick look at past Nintendo console day one game launches, their lifetime sales and game libraries
Nintendo raised eyebrow rings across the gaming press when it announced just two of only eight Nintendo Switch games would be published by the console manufacturer.
Many were quick to lament the decision, spewing adjectives like “paltry” and “questionable” onto the internet in rapid succession. If we look at past Nintendo console launches, the gravity of the situation might just pacify.
The below list talks about games that launched on the respective consoles on day one of those consoles first availability. In most cases, Nintendo launch its console in Japan before the rest of the world, where a console launched in North America first the launch price is reflected in USD. Included too is the launch price adjusted for inflation into today’s equivalent, shown in Australian Dollars.
Nintendo Entertainment System — July 15, 1983
- Price at Launch: JP¥14,800 (today’s eq.: AU$523)
- Launch Games: 3
- Lifetime Global Sales: 61.35 million
- Lifetime Global Game Library: 713
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 500.01 million
Game Boy — April 21, 1989
- Price at Launch: JP¥9,800 (today’s eq.: AU$345.50)
- Launch Games: 4
- Lifetime Global Sales: 118.69 million*
* includes Game Boy Color hardware sales - Lifetime Global Game Library: 1,049
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 501.11 million*
* includes Game Boy Color game sales
Super Nintendo Entertainment System — November 21, 1990
- Price at Launch: JP¥25,000 (today’s eq.: AU$543.81)
- Launch Games: 2
- Lifetime Global Sales: 49.10 million
- Lifetime Global Game Library: 783
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 379.06 million
Nintendo 64 — June 23, 1996
- Price at Launch: JP¥25,000 (today’s eq.: AU$468.39)
- Launch Games: 3
- Lifetime Global Sales: 32.93 million
- Lifetime Global Game Library: 388
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 224.97 million
Game Boy Color —October 21, 1998
- Price at Launch: JP¥9,000 (today’s eq.: AU$166.80)
- Launch Games: 3
- Lifetime Global Sales: 118.69 million*
*includes Game Boy hardware sales - Lifetime Global Game Library: 576
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 501.11 million*
*includes Game Boy game sales
Game Boy Advance — March 21, 2001
- Price at Launch: JP¥12,500 (today’s eq.: AU$209.39)
- Launch Games: 24
- Lifetime Global Sales: 81.51 million
- Lifetime Global Game Library: 1,074
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 377.42 million
Nintendo GameCube— September 14, 2001
- Price at Launch: JP¥25,000 (today’s eq.: AU$418.69)
- Launch Games: 3
- Lifetime Global Sales: 21.74 million
- Lifetime Global Game Library: 661
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 208.57 million
Nintendo DS — November 21, 2004
- Price at Launch: US$149.99 (today’s eq.: AU$285.64)
- Launch Games: 7
- Lifetime Global Sales: 154.02 million
- Lifetime Global Game Library: 1,862
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 948.51 million
Wii — November 19, 2006
- Price at Launch: US$249 (today’s eq.: AU$411.85)
- Launch Games: 21
- Lifetime Global Sales: 101.63 million
- Lifetime Global Game Library: 1,531
- Lifetime Global Game Sales: 917.34 million
Nintendo 3DS — February 26, 2011
- Price at Launch: JP¥25,000 (today’s eq.: AU$314.84)
- Launch Games: 10
- Lifetime Global Sales: 64.30 million*
* As at December 21, 2016. Console still on sale. - Lifetime Global Game Library: 1,021**
*As at February 22, 2017. Console still on sale. - Lifetime Global Game Sales: 320.96 million*
* As at December 21, 2016. Console still on sale but discontinued
Wii U — November 18, 2012
- Price at Launch: USD$299.99 (Basic), USD$349.99 (Premium)
(today’s eq.: AU$421.94 (Basic), AU$492.22) - Launch Games: 34
- Lifetime Global Hardware Sales: 13.56 million*
* As at December 21, 2016. Console still on sale but discontinued. - Lifetime Global Game Library: 732*
*As at February 22, 2017. Console still on sale but discontinued. - Lifetime Global Game Sales: 96.52 million*
* As at December 21, 2016. Console still on sale but discontinued
Nintendo Switch — March 3, 2017
- Price at Launch: AU$469.95
- Launch Games: 10
Key Findings
After pouring through the above numbers, we can make some interesting observations;
Higher Specs = Lower Sales
It seems that whenever Nintendo strives to release a console with higher specifications (relative to contemporary hardware) it’s punished in terms of both hardware and software sales.
Of course, that’s just a fun observation that doesn’t take any economic or other conditions into account, but it’s interesting to note.
Portable Consoles Have More Games
Nintendo Switch is a home console that can be taken on the go, and because of that portable nature it may benefit from the bloat of titles that seem to follow Nintendo’s portable consoles.
Portable consoles are traditionally less powerful than their home console brothers which often means games are less expensive to produce. The extra titles seem to push extra hardware sales, so Nintendo Switch might have an edge.
All Console Launches are Woeful
Nintendo Switch isn’t the only console to launch with a small selection of games. As the above points out, it’s almost a tradition. There’s no pattern between small launch selection and lifetime sales, some of Nintendo’s best selling consoles launched with only 3 games.
A Large Launch Lineup Doesn’t Guarantee Hardware Sales
If anything’s obvious from the above list it’s that the more games you launch on your console day one, the less sales you’ll have overall, with the exception of Wii.
Wii U launched with a whopping 34 games. That’s the most of any Nintendo console and, in fact, the most of any console releases. It didn’t help much, Wii U was Nintendo’s weakest selling console in both hardware and game sales.
It’s this final point that is most relevant to all the nay-sayers. The list of confirmed Nintendo Switch games grows almost every day. So while the wait for the next big title can be excruciating, we’ll have to look elsewhere to determine Nintendo Switch’s destiny.
