Latest news with #NikoPartners
Hans India
3 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Nintendo Switch 2 becomes fastest-selling game console
Nintendo has done it again. The highly anticipated Switch 2 has officially become the fastest-selling video game console of all time, moving a jaw-dropping 3.5 million units in just four days since its launch. According to Nintendo's announcement, this milestone outpaces all previous hardware launches — not just for the company, but across the entire industry. Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at Niko Partners, confirmed on X that the Switch 2 'is the fastest selling home video game console ever,' beating even the formidable launch numbers of Sony's PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. To compare, the PS4 took 16 days to sell 2.1 million units, and the PS5 needed seven weeks to cross 4.4 million. The Switch 2 surpassed both in less than a week, underlining the pent-up demand Nintendo successfully capitalized on. Despite early preorder sellouts across major US retailers, Nintendo ensured sufficient launch inventory, with some units still available for last-minute buyers. Analysts believe that impending tariff hikes may have also driven urgency among buyers. Though the UK didn't see the same intensity, the console still ranked as the fourth best-selling console launch in British history, according to NielsenIQ. Interestingly, this record-breaking debut came despite a limited lineup of launch titles. Analysts credit years of anticipation and Nintendo's strategic inventory planning for the console's immediate success. The next big test for Nintendo will be maintaining this sales momentum. The company is targeting 15 million units sold by March 2026, and with 3.5 million already gone in four days, it's well on track. For context, the original Nintendo Switch, which debuted in March 2017, sold 17.79 million units in its first 13 months and has since gone on to exceed 150 million lifetime sales.
The Verge
3 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Nintendo's Switch 2 is the fastest-selling game console of all time
Nintendo was expecting the Switch 2 would be just as successful as the original, and it's already become the fastest-selling game console of all time after a strong launch. Nintendo revealed today that it has sold more than 3.5 million Switch 2 units in the console's first four days, surpassing records for any of Nintendo's hardware within the same launch period. But the record is more significant than that. Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at Niko Partners, points out on X that the Switch 2 is 'the fastest selling home video game console of all time.' It took Sony 16 days to sell 2.1 million PS4 consoles, and six weeks to reach 4.2 million units. The Switch 2 has also comfortably beaten the PS5 launch, which debuted during the pandemic and associated chip supply constraints. It took seven weeks for Sony to sell-through 4.4 million PS5 units. This makes it not just the best selling Nintendo console in the first 4 days, but the fastest selling home video game console of all time. — Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) June 11, 2025 It's clear that Nintendo was able to meet pent-up demand for a Switch successor by having ample inventory on hand in key markets. Switch 2 preorders sold out across major retailers in the US ahead of the launch, but there was still some limited stock on launch day for those willing to line up at midnight or take a chance in the morning. The threat of price increases from tariffs likely helped goose initial demand, too. While the Switch 2 isn't the biggest UK console launch of all time and it seemed relatively easy for Brits to buy one on launch day, it's still the fourth best-selling console in the UK according to data from NielsenIQ. Analysts had widely predicted strong Switch 2 launch sales, despite a lack of launch titles for Nintendo's latest console. Nintendo's record-breaking Switch 2 sales are thanks to a lot of pent-up demand waiting on this new hardware, and Nintendo using that time to build enough units to meet demand. The real question now is whether Nintendo can keep up this sales pace, and if tariffs and handheld alternatives could slow down sales. Nintendo is aiming to hit its goal of 15 million Switch 2 console sales by the end of March 2026, and it's already off to a good start with 3.5 million in four days. The original Switch launched in March 2017 and sold 17.79 million units in its first 13 months on sale — more than Nintendo's own estimates at the time. The Switch has now sold more than 150 million units over its lifetime, pushing it close to overtaking the DS as Nintendo's best-selling console.
Qatar Tribune
15-05-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Tariffs set to level up game console prices
Agencies The U.S. tariffs barrage and the bounding cost of producing games have prompted manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft to announce price hikes on consoles, in an industry shift experts say is set to last. Sony's 2020-vintage Playstation 5 has seen its price hiked by tens of dollars worldwide in recent weeks, a move matched on Microsoft's Xbox Series X. While tech products usually fall in price as their release date fades into the past, games industry analysts say these are clear impacts of US President Donald Trump's border levies on major trading partners. Last year, '75 percent of all consoles shipped to the U.S.... were made in China,' market research firm Niko Partners wrote in an April note. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said Microsoft's global price hike aims 'to soften the actual price increase in the U.S., which is Xbox's largest market' -- and the only one affected by Trump's swinging tariffs on imports from China. Nintendo's hotly anticipated Switch 2 console appears for now to be spared a big price hike ahead of its June 5 release. The Japanese heavyweight moved some production to Vietnam in 2019 -- a country hit by Trump with 46 percent additional tariffs which have been delayed for 90 days. If Vietnam does face such a steep trade bill 'we're looking at costs increasing by hundreds of dollars' for every console, industry specialist Christopher Dring warned last month on his website 'The Game Business'. The United States and China agreed on Monday to reduce massive tit-for-tat tariffs, also for 90 days -- but the effect of the temporary pause on the games industry remains to be seen. As well as console hardware, games software is getting pricier too. Fans reacted angrily when Nintendo announced that flagship Switch 2 game 'Mario Kart World' would bear its highest-ever price tag of $80 in the U.S. and up to 90 euros ($102) across the Atlantic. Microsoft plans to increase prices of games developed by its studios to as much as $80 -- a $10 hike. 'These price points are set to become industry standard over the next two years,' Niko Partners predicted. Behind the sticker shock is a crisis in growth for the games industry over the past two years, leaving developers scrambling to protect their profitability. For many gamers, especially the younger generation, that may mean cutting back. 'I'm going to have to be a lot more selective' about purchases, said Nassim Amegrissi, an 18-year-old high school student in Paris. He said he had already decided to 'pass' on the Switch 2, priced at 470 euros ($450 in the U.S.). Matthieu Rodolphi, a 31-year-old French policeman, said price would be 'the deciding factor' in which titles he picks up. Many gamers are turning to releases from smaller studios that are often less prohibitively priced, such as 'Split Fiction' or surprise hit 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33', both of which have shifted millions of copies. Other fans are signing up to major console makers' subscription services that allow access to a library of titles on demand for around 15 euros per month. Even with prices soaring, most experts agree that games are in fact historically affordable when looked at in real terms. Taking inflation into account, many consoles were far more expensive in the past, such as the 600-euro release price of the 2007 PlayStation 3 that would today put it at over 700 euros. 'Game prices have never been lower in real terms than they are today,' said Matthew Ball of consultancy Epyllion in a report on the state of the games industry in 2025.
Japan Today
13-05-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Tariffs set to level up game console prices
Tech products usually fall in price as their release date fades into the past, but Trump's tariffs have had an impact By Kilian FICHOU The U.S. tariffs barrage and the bounding cost of producing games have prompted manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft to announce price hikes on consoles, in an industry shift experts say is set to last. Sony's 2020-vintage Playstation 5 has seen its price hiked by tens of dollars worldwide in recent weeks, a move matched on Microsoft's Xbox Series X. While tech products usually fall in price as their release date fades into the past, games industry analysts say these are clear impacts of US President Donald Trump's border levies on major trading partners. Last year, "75 percent of all consoles shipped to the U.S.... were made in China," market research firm Niko Partners wrote in an April note. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said Microsoft's global price hike aims "to soften the actual price increase in the U.S., which is Xbox's largest market" -- and the only one affected by Trump's swinging tariffs on imports from China. Nintendo's hotly anticipated Switch 2 console appears for now to be spared a big price hike ahead of its June 5 release. The Japanese heavyweight moved some production to Vietnam in 2019 -- a country hit by Trump with 46 percent additional tariffs which have been delayed for 90 days. If Vietnam does face such a steep trade bill "we're looking at costs increasing by hundreds of dollars" for every console, industry specialist Christopher Dring warned last month on his website "The Game Business". The United States and China agreed on Monday to reduce massive tit-for-tat tariffs, also for 90 days -- but the effect of the temporary pause on the games industry remains to be seen. As well as console hardware, games software is getting pricier too. Fans reacted angrily when Nintendo announced that flagship Switch 2 game "Mario Kart World" would bear its highest-ever price tag of $80 in the U.S. and up to 90 euros ($102) across the Atlantic. Microsoft plans to increase prices of games developed by its studios to as much as $80 -- a $10 hike. "These price points are set to become industry standard over the next two years," Niko Partners predicted. Behind the sticker shock is a crisis in growth for the games industry over the past two years, leaving developers scrambling to protect their profitability. For many gamers, especially the younger generation, that may mean cutting back. "I'm going to have to be a lot more selective" about purchases, said Nassim Amegrissi, an 18-year-old high school student in Paris. He said he had already decided to "pass" on the Switch 2, priced at 470 euros ($450 in the U.S.). Matthieu Rodolphi, a 31-year-old French policeman, said price would be "the deciding factor" in which titles he picks up. Many gamers are turning to releases from smaller studios that are often less prohibitively priced, such as "Split Fiction" or surprise hit "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33", both of which have shifted millions of copies. Other fans are signing up to major console makers' subscription services that allow access to a library of titles on demand for around 15 euros per month. Even with prices soaring, most experts agree that games are in fact historically affordable when looked at in real terms. Taking inflation into account, many consoles were far more expensive in the past, such as the 600-euro release price of the 2007 PlayStation 3 that would today put it at over 700 euros. "Game prices have never been lower in real terms than they are today," said Matthew Ball of consultancy Epyllion in a report on the state of the games industry in 2025. By contrast, "development costs have as much as tripled over the past five years," Dring wrote. If sold at $70 -- the standard price for new video games in the United States -- Grand Theft Auto VI "would be the cheapest-ever GTA" in real terms, Ball said. But the game cost significantly more to produce than the previous installments, which is why Ball expects it to break the $100 psychological barrier when it is released in May 2026. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariffs set to level up game console prices
The US tariffs barrage and the bounding cost of producing games have prompted manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft to announce price hikes on consoles, in an industry shift experts say is set to last. Sony's 2020-vintage Playstation 5 has seen its price hiked by tens of dollars worldwide in recent weeks, a move matched on Microsoft's Xbox Series X. While tech products usually fall in price as their release date fades into the past, games industry analysts say these are clear impacts of US President Donald Trump's border levies on major trading partners. Last year, "75 percent of all consoles shipped to the US... were made in China," market research firm Niko Partners wrote in an April note. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad said Microsoft's global price hike aims "to soften the actual price increase in the US, which is Xbox's largest market" -- and the only one affected by Trump's swingeing tariffs on imports from China. Nintendo's hotly anticipated Switch 2 console appears for now to be spared a big price hike ahead of its June 5 release. The Japanese heavyweight moved some production to Vietnam in 2019 -- a country hit by Trump with 46 percent additional tariffs which have been delayed for 90 days. If Vietnam does face such a steep trade bill "we're looking at costs increasing by hundreds of dollars" for every console, industry specialist Christopher Dring warned last month on his website "The Game Business". The United States and China agreed on Monday to reduce massive tit-for-tat tariffs, also for 90 days -- but the effect of the temporary pause on the games industry remains to be seen. - Broad-based hikes - As well as console hardware, games software is getting pricier too. Fans reacted angrily when Nintendo announced that flagship Switch 2 game "Mario Kart World" would bear its highest-ever price tag of $80 in the US and up to 90 euros ($102) across the Atlantic. Microsoft plans to increase prices of games developed by its studios to as much as $80 -- a $10 hike. "These price points are set to become industry standard over the next two years," Niko Partners predicted. Behind the sticker shock is a crisis in growth for the games industry over the past two years, leaving developers scrambling to protect their profitability. For many gamers, especially the younger generation, that may mean cutting back. "I'm going to have to be a lot more selective" about purchases, said Nassim Amegrissi, an 18-year-old high school student in Paris. He said he had already decided to "pass" on the Switch 2, priced at 470 euros ($450 in the US). Matthieu Rodolphi, a 31-year-old French policeman, said price would be "the deciding factor" in which titles he picks up. Many gamers are turning to releases from smaller studios that are often less prohibitively priced, such as "Split Fiction" or surprise hit "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33", both of which have shifted millions of copies. Other fans are signing up to major console makers' subscription services that allow access to a library of titles on demand for around 15 euros per month. - Inflation delayed - Even with prices soaring, most experts agree that games are in fact historically affordable when looked at in real terms. Taking inflation into account, many consoles were far more expensive in the past, such as the 600-euro release price of the 2007 PlayStation 3 that would today put it at over 700 euros. "Game prices have never been lower in real terms than they are today," said Matthew Ball of consultancy Epyllion in a report on the state of the games industry in 2025. By contrast, "development costs have as much as tripled over the past five years," Dring wrote. If sold at $70 -- the standard price for new video games in the United States -- Grand Theft Auto VI "would be the cheapest-ever GTA" in real terms, Ball said. But the game cost significantly more to produce than the previous instalments, which is why Ball expects it to break the $100 psychological barrier when it is released in May 2026. kf/tgb/lth/bc Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
