Nintendo says the switch is in the middle of its lifecycle

Nintendo today released its quarterly results along with some annual numbers for the Switch and its software, and in doing so, it revealed that it sees the console as midway through its lifecycle.

Yesterday EA and Sony released their quarterly financial results, so it’s no surprise Nintendo arrived today. But what’s surprising to some is that it could still be five more years before a new Nintendo console is released.

As Bloomberg reported, Nintendo’s president, Shuntaro Furukawa, said in the results, “The Switch is in the middle of its lifecycle and the momentum towards this year is good.” “The Switch is poised to break through the pattern of past consoles, which lost momentum in their sixth year of release and grow further.”

What Furukawa suggests is a very strong first-party software sales and steady growth of the Switch. After all, it was the best-selling console in the US last year. Of course, 2021 has been a weird year for gaming consoles. It was the first full year of Sony’s and Microsoft’s new generation of consoles, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and an ongoing chip shortage made both companies struggle to meet demand for their consoles.

If it weren’t for the chip shortage, it probably sold more than the Switch in 2021. At least the Switch will see continued growth, partly due to the chip shortage. Nintendo is also struggling with the results, but for now it’s a lot easier to find a Switch than it is to find a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. And perhaps consumers wanting to jump into the game as a result of the pandemic shifting to the Switch. Of course, that’s speculation, as you’ll never know what 2021 would have been like without the chip shortage.