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Sales Data Updated sales numbers for Switch titles: Pokémon Legends: Arceus (12.64M), Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2.65M), and more

Amazing results across the board.

Dread will see a boost when the Prime games come out, so 3m is a given, maybe it will pass 3.5m.

17m for SMP is absolutely bonkers. I don't think it will hit 20m because of Superstars, but still, crazy.

A bit disappointed about Legends selling less than BDSP, but I suppose it's a fair result. Being a single SKU definitely hurt it a bit, missing a holiday season, and getting its legs cut by a new gen announcement one month later was rough. It all made Legends look like a smaller spin off game instead of the next big Pokemon game. Everything considered, I think it still performed really well.
 
Goddamm Mario Kart, probably they sold even more copies after the DLC announcement, where one of those copies is mine. I didn't want to buy it because I already owned it for Wii U, but after the DLCs being a thing, I had to jump into this madness.

And really happy for Metroid results, the franchise is back and alive, better than ever. After Dread, I hope it becomes more popular. Nintendo should treat this franchise better.
 
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A bit disappointed about Legends selling less than BDSP, but I suppose it's a fair result. Being a single SKU definitely hurt it a bit, missing a holiday season, and getting its legs cut by a new gen announcement one month later was rough. It all made Legends look like a smaller spin off game instead of the next big Pokemon game. Everything considered, I think it still performed really well.
BDSP released before , Arceus would have to done unprecedented numbers for any Nintendo entry outside of Holiday season to catchup with BDSP, there is now only a 2M difference which is a lot smaller than expected when you consider everything, Legends is still charting in almost all countries top 5-10 charts while BDSP has fallen off all of them, Legends will end up outselling BDSP in the long run I’d argue even by the end of this CY Arceus>BDSP.
 
So when Switch 2 arrives they will do Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Pass. See you in 2035 with Mario Kart 10 or whatever.
 
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BDSP released before , Arceus would have to done unprecedented numbers for any Nintendo entry outside of Holiday season to catchup with BDSP, there is now only a 2M difference which is a lot smaller than expected when you consider everything, Legends is still charting in almost all countries top 5-10 charts while BDSP has fallen off all of them, Legends will end up outselling BDSP in the long run I’d argue even by the end of this CY Arceus>BDSP.

I think Legends will have its legs severely hurt by SV because it just seems like an evolution of everything it does plus with a new generation. I don't see much appeal to Legends after SV is out unless the person is specifically looking for action mechanics. BDSP will be an evergreen like the other Pokemon games because it's a mainline remake. But we will see, I'm rooting for Legends and hope we will get a sequel some day.
 
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Very strong Switch HW numbers, and overall SW sales are on pace to be the best ever for a Nintendo system (probably already are if digital-only titles were included).

The 21M Switch HW forecast for next year would be the highest sales for any console in its 6th fiscal year. I’m not sure some folks appreciate just how monumental that is, especially for Nintendo who’s console sales tend to be a little more front-loaded than others.

I will say that I was hoping Kirby and the Forgotten Land would launch a little higher overall, but hopefully it ends up having strong legs like many other Kirby games.

Pokémon is printing money right now.

BOTW sales remain unbelievable, it’s really going to hit 30M before the sequel releases, isn’t it?!
 
Looking at the more detailed report, it looks like Kirby sold 850k in Japan alone. That's pretty spectacular, to say the least.
 
It's pretty neat how Super Mario sales across the board are pretty stable. You look at a franchise like Zelda and Breath of the Wild sells ridiculously well, but Link's Awakening fell off after a while and Skyward Sword HD is falling off even faster. Meanwhile Odyssey, NSMBU Deluxe, and 3D World + Bowser's Fury are all selling at a nice pace with each other. Open 3D Mario, linear 3D Mario, and classic 2D Mario all coexisting - you love to see it.

The outlier here is Maker 2, which didn't sell badly in a vacuum but also fell off really hard. Bit of a chicken or the egg situation there. It didn't blow up as much as Nintendo hoped so it didn't get long-term support (not to mention COVID), but better support would've gotten it more sales. For shame.

Pokémon sales continue to be monstrous. That train cannot be stopped, even if the games themselves could use more dev time to iron out their issues. Alas, I am part of the problem - I keep buying them, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy both BDSP and Arceus.
 
So within 6 days, Kirby sold 2.65 million. Pretty crazy; I think it’ll sit around 5-6 million when all is said and done.

And only in around 2 months, Pokemon Legends sold almost 13 million. That is fucking crazy. And it didn’t even have a holiday yet. I think that game crosses 20 million before the year is over.
 
To me, the Switch software units total (currently 822.18 million units) is even more impressive than the Switch hardware units total.
Seems like that within a year from now, Switch will have sold more software than any Nintendo platform (Nintendo DS is at 948.76 million units) and likely also the first Nintendo console to sell more than 1 billion software units.

 
Nintendo seems to be doing fine, more than fine. I cannot wait for what the future will bring us from this company.
 
Just like I said years ago that a new 2D Metroid on Switch would be the best selling in the series. I’ll reiterate what I also said years ago that Metroid Prime 4 will become the best selling in the series after the new 2D Metroid.

I’m hoping Prime 4 can get to 5 million.
 
I really wish we got updated numbers for Xenoblade 1+2 and Fire Emblem Three Houses. I wonder how close FE is to 4m?

Numbers as of December 2020:

Three Houses - 3,4m
Xenoblade 2 - 2,17m
Xenoblade: DE - 1,52m (as of March 2021)

Sadly couldn't find any numbers for XB1 on Wii or 3DS.
 
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I really wish we got updated numbers for Xenoblade 1+2 and Fire Emblem Three Houses. I wonder how close FE is to 4m?

FE:3H 3.4M dec 2020
Xenoblade 2 2.17M dec 2020
Xenoblade DE 1.52M march 2021
 
Lots of big milestones coming up this coming year or so:

50m for MK8D (and well beyond)
40m for ACNH
30m for Smash Ultimate
20m for Super Mario Party
15m for BDSP, LGPE, Ring Fit, and possibly Legends Arceus
10m for SM3DW+BF and MPSS (and beyond)
5m for Clubhouse Games
3m for Dread

Good stuff!! Can't wait to see Switch Sports numbers!
I would like to add the possibility of BoTW hitting 30M at its current cadence.
 
Very strong Switch HW numbers, and overall SW sales are on pace to be the best ever for a Nintendo system (probably already are if digital-only titles were included).

The 21M Switch HW forecast for next year would be the highest sales for any console in its 6th fiscal year. I’m not sure some folks appreciate just how monumental that is, especially for Nintendo who’s console sales tend to be a little more front-loaded than others.

I will say that I was hoping Kirby and the Forgotten Land would launch a little higher overall, but hopefully it ends up having strong legs like many other Kirby games.

Pokémon is printing money right now.

BOTW sales remain unbelievable, it’s really going to hit 30M before the sequel releases, isn’t it?!
I think it will hit 30M before that and I fully expect re-release with all DLC on the cart at some point this year. Maybe like a special edition with a metal case or something like that.
 
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I think CESA's white paper covering 2021 should be out in the summer so we'll get Fire Emblem and Xenoblade 2 updates then (hopefully).
 
I have to admit, I'm not happy with WarioWare performance. Hoped it would be closer to 5m but apparently mainstream doesn't appreciate garlics enough.
 
I'm impressed by Legends: Arceus, a sequel sooner or later is a given, with this sales range.
Usually yes, but not necessarily when the opportunity cost is a 20m+ new gen. The only thing I'd confidently say I'm certain of is more outsourced remakes now lol
 
I really wish we got updated numbers for Xenoblade 1+2 and Fire Emblem Three Houses. I wonder how close FE is to 4m?
3H was at 3.4m back in December 2020, so if it kept up decent legs I bet it's pretty close to 4m currently, and may even surpass 4m by the time the next mainline FE comes out (especially if we assume Three Hopes and a new mainline reveal would help boost the sales of 3H), even if it releases as early as October this year. I think, depending on what the game is like, and the marketing etc, the upcoming new mainline FE could end up selling 5m+ which would be pretty insane lol.
 
Numbers as of December 2020:

Three Houses - 3,4
Xenoblade 2 - 2,12
Xenoblade: DE - 1,52 (as of March 2021)

Sadly couldn't find any numbers for XB1 on Wii or 3DS.


FE:3H 3.4M dec 2020
Xenoblade 2 2.17M dec 2020
Xenoblade DE 1.52M march 2021
I already knew that but it's a shame it's 2 years old data. Nintendo needs to do top 30 sellers as @Dark Cloud mentioned lol.
 
3H was at 3.4m back in December 2020, so if it kept up decent legs I bet it's pretty close to 4m currently, and may even surpass 4m by the time the next mainline FE comes out (especially if we assume Three Hopes and a new mainline reveal would help boost the sales of 3H), even if it releases as early as October this year. I think, depending on what the game is like, and the marketing etc, the upcoming new mainline FE could end up selling 5m+ which would be pretty insane lol.
FE has so much potential it's insane. We only got 1 FE mainline and it should be around 4m if not higher. A better looking game with a story just as good as Three Houses with better CGI cutscenes, 5m+ is a possibility.
 
I have to admit, I'm not happy with WarioWare performance. Hoped it would be closer to 5m but apparently mainstream doesn't appreciate garlics enough.
Yeah, I think this is my only major disappointment here. I loved that game and really think it should have done better.
 
Yeah, I think this is my only major disappointment here. I loved that game and really think it should have done better.

idk i feel like the game could've been better. Tried the demo and I didn't buy it because of it.
 
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Just because I thought it was interesting, here's a quick overview of all handheld titles/series that have sold 1m or more but haven't appeared on Switch. Disclaimer:
  • This includes all handhelds from the original GB to the 3DS
  • "Handheld series" is used somewhat loosely here, but it's generally "series that originated on a handheld"
  • The two exceptions are 2D Mario and 2D Zelda due to their recent history
  • Some expanded ocean series like English Training or 100 Classic Books are left out because I felt they are unlikely to return for a variety of reasons
  • Games only licensed by Nintendo (Layton, Yokai Watch etc.) have been left out

handheld titles/series that don't have a Switch entry
  • Nintendogs
  • Tomodachi Life
  • Rhythm Heaven
  • Style Savvy/Style Boutique
  • Mario & Luigi
  • Art Academy
  • Golden Sun
  • Wario Land
  • Mario Hoops/Slam Basketball
  • Super Princess Peach
  • Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  • Pokémon Ranger
  • Pokémon Pinball
  • Pokémon Trading Card Game

no original Switch entry:
  • 2D Zelda*
  • 2D Mario*
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

It's possible that I missed something so feel free to point it out
 
Dread's done great. It'll shift a few hundred thousand more at least; wouldn't surprise me to see it sell similarly to Three Houses (which was at 3.4 million 18 months after release).
I have to admit, I'm not happy with WarioWare performance. Hoped it would be closer to 5m but apparently mainstream doesn't appreciate garlics enough.
The series previous best was around 2 million - I'm not sure what would cause it jump all the way up to 5 million, even with the growth seen by other series on Switch. It's done fine, but perhaps the launch timing and price point were a little off; Mario Party Superstars came out just over a month or so later and is much, much more popular as a multiplayer party option.
 
Usually yes, but not necessarily when the opportunity cost is a 20m+ new gen. The only thing I'd confidently say I'm certain of is more outsourced remakes now lol
Sword/Shield had two versions, released during peak holiday season, and was the only Pokemon game in sight and sold 17 million units in 5 months. In just over two months, only releasing with a singular version, well after the holiday season, and mere months after the best selling Pokemon remake, Arceus managed to sell 12.6 million. Arceus's numbers are still massive, and would have been higher if not for so many factors going against it.

A holiday release of another Arceus esque game could easily sell in line with a new mainline generation.
 
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As someone who had pretty much given up on Pokemon games until Arceus, I'm so delighted to see those sales. Given the circumstances it launched in (post-holiday, 2 months since a 14m selling pokemon game, only one version) those are dynamite sales.

It really felt with Arceus like they were "quarantining" a bunch of new gameplay features into a new series in case the fanbase rejected them. Now that it's been an enormous success (both in sales and fan feedback online) I think they scrap the idea of the sub-series and just take those ideas to the mainline games. Or if not and we get more Legends games as their own thing I'm still happy.

Disappointed in Metroid though. I really thought it could hit 5m. The game quality was there, the install base was there, it got a lot of social media push, it just felt like everything lined up for it to have a major breakout. I just think that $60 for a short 2d game doesn't do well in the market any more, no matter what IP is attached. People who say "It's the best Metroid have done" are ignoring what shit situations most of the other games launched into. A super-high quality 1st party game on Switch SHOULD be smashing franchise records, and most are.

Lastly, the sales of Skyward Sword and Link's Awakening really drive home to me how important adventure games being open world is. I had a couple family members who got SS after BotW and were disgusted it wasn't open world. I look at Genshin Impact and GTA V, Elden Ring now matching BotW's breakout success by going open-world, the Forza Horizon series dominating the racing space, even Fortnite taking multiplayer shooting and putting it on a massive map and it just seems like spacial freedom and exploration is the name of the game if you want big sales in a whole bunch of different genres.
 
Just because I thought it was interesting, here's a quick overview of all handheld titles/series that have sold 1m or more but haven't appeared on Switch. Disclaimer:
  • This includes all handhelds from the original GB to the 3DS
  • "Handheld series" is used somewhat loosely here, but it's generally "series that originated on a handheld"
  • The two exceptions are 2D Mario and 2D Zelda due to their recent history
  • Some expanded ocean series like English Training or 100 Classic Books are left out because I felt they are unlikely to return for a variety of reasons
  • Games only licensed by Nintendo (Layton, Yokai Watch etc.) have been left out

handheld titles/series that don't have a Switch entry
  • Nintendogs
  • Tomodachi Life
  • Rhythm Heaven
  • Style Savvy/Style Boutique
  • Mario & Luigi
  • Art Academy
  • Golden Sun
  • Wario Land
  • Mario Hoops/Slam Basketball
  • Super Princess Peach
  • Mario vs. Donkey Kong
  • Pokémon Ranger
  • Pokémon Pinball
  • Pokémon Trading Card Game

no original Switch entry:
  • 2D Zelda*
  • 2D Mario*
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

It's possible that I missed something so feel free to point it out
Some of these will prolly come back in some form. Now for some of these 3rd party developers… they definitely don’t have any excuse to purposefully ignore Switch
 
As someone who had pretty much given up on Pokemon games until Arceus, I'm so delighted to see those sales. Given the circumstances it launched in (post-holiday, 2 months since a 14m selling pokemon game, only one version) those are dynamite sales.

It really felt with Arceus like they were "quarantining" a bunch of new gameplay features into a new series in case the fanbase rejected them. Now that it's been an enormous success (both in sales and fan feedback online) I think they scrap the idea of the sub-series and just take those ideas to the mainline games. Or if not and we get more Legends games as their own thing I'm still happy.

Disappointed in Metroid though. I really thought it could hit 5m. The game quality was there, the install base was there, it got a lot of social media push, it just felt like everything lined up for it to have a major breakout. I just think that $60 for a short 2d game doesn't do well in the market any more, no matter what IP is attached. People who say "It's the best Metroid have done" are ignoring what shit situations most of the other games launched into. A super-high quality 1st party game on Switch SHOULD be smashing franchise records, and most are.

Lastly, the sales of Skyward Sword and Link's Awakening really drive home to me how important adventure games being open world is. I had a couple family members who got SS after BotW and were disgusted it wasn't open world. I look at Genshin Impact and GTA V, Elden Ring now matching BotW's breakout success by going open-world, the Forza Horizon series dominating the racing space, even Fortnite taking multiplayer shooting and putting it on a massive map and it just seems like spacial freedom and exploration is the name of the game if you want big sales in a whole bunch of different genres.
I get it, i do wish its legs were a bit better (although 5 was a very VERY optimistic number) , but at the same time i think a few other things need to be said.

Well, it doesnt means dread stopped selling. Its totally possible it will reach 3,5 mill in the long run, which isnt that far off from 2,9 but certainly feels better/different lol.

Dread IS the best selling metroid game, and it managed to do so in 6 months. 2D metroid is on par with fire emblem in terms of sales which is already astronomical by itself.

Metroid is finally growing, and dread is just the beginning thankfully. Who knows how better mp4 and the hypothetical prime remake will do or perhaps a Metroid 6? Perhaps it will be the one to reach 4 or 5 million?
 
FE has so much potential it's insane. We only got 1 FE mainline and it should be around 4m if not higher. A better looking game with a story just as good as Three Houses with better CGI cutscenes, 5m+ is a possibility.
Yeah, if this new game has great visuals and animations (both CG cutscene and battle animations) and great overall presentation and production values, it should help a lot imo (and seemingly this upcoming new game is being developed mainly by IS, so hopefully that ends up being the case?). I think another major aspect to consider regarding its sales potential is the scope of the free-roam exploration. I honestly think it's fairly likely that the exploration in the next game is much more ambitious and large in scope (perhaps even the return of dungeons?), which I think could help to further broaden the appeal. If the map design is really good and unique, and there are a lot of interesting new gimmicks, that could also help imo. Perhaps a more unique setting than the "typical" medieval European fantasy FE setting could help drive excitement and interest, too.
 
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I get it, i do wish its legs were a bit better (although 5 was a very VERY optimistic number) , but at the same time i think a few other things need to be said.

Well, it doesnt means dread stopped selling. Its totally possible it will reach 3,5 mill in the long run, which isnt that far off from 2,9 but certainly feels better/different lol.

Dread IS the best selling metroid game, and it managed to do so in 6 months. 2D metroid is on par with fire emblem in terms of sales which is already astronomical by itself.

Metroid is finally growing, and dread is just the beginning thankfully. Who knows how better mp4 and the hypothetical prime remake will do lol
I think Prime will do better (so long as it's a good game) just because the market is more receptive to first person games at $60 than 2d action/shooter games at the same price.

But those legs for Dread are crazy bad, lol. Everyone who wanted it bought it right away. No one else appears interested. It is apparently the ultimate hardcore fans' game. The anti-Animal Crossing.
 
They say as much themselves in the results, yes.


IMG_9314.png
It would cool if games like Dying Light Platinum Edition are one of the million sellers. They should be rewarded for a quality port.
 
I think Prime will do better (so long as it's a good game) just because the market is more receptive to first person games at $60 than 2d action/shooter games at the same price.

But those legs for Dread are crazy bad, lol. Everyone who wanted it bought it right away. No one else appears interested. It is apparently the ultimate hardcore fans' game. The anti-Animal Crossing.
Id be shocked if prime didnt do considerably better (and that is being pessimistic)

Ye, i agree they re quite the bad legs. When i saw that smtv moved 200k and managed to hut 1 mill i just thought "well smt sold less than 1/3 of what dread did, so it makes sense to expect more right?" it didnt sadly. But its like i said, i doubt dread will be stopping at 2,9 even if post launch sales will be waaay slower than i assumed lol
 


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