Nintendo has seen an improvement in its fortunes after the release of its Switch Lite handheld. The company's operating profit is up more than 50 percent for the first half of the fiscal year thanks to the new console.
According to GamesIndustry.biz and a Nintendo financial report (it's in Japanese), the Switch Lite sold 1.95 million units in its first 11 days. This figure brings the company's profit up to $867.4 million between April and October. Overall, Nintendo managed to shift 6.93 million Switch units during this time, the bulk of which is taken up by the standard model. Despite launching only 11 days before the end of the fiscal half, the Switch Lite contributed around 28 percent of overall Switch hardware sales during the period. Looks like Nintendo has cause to celebrate.
In software terms, it won't come as a surprise to learn that Super Mario Maker 2 leads the pack in terms of sales. The creative toolkit sold 3.93 million units, with action-adventure remake The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (which we loved) coming in close second with 3.13 million units sold. Fire Emblem: Three Houses managed 2.29 million units but was outsold by the perennially popular Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2.32 million).
Nintendo says its mobile revenues are up 6.4% year-on-year too. There's no information on how this breaks down between Mario Kart Tour, Dr. Mario World, and previously-released smartphone titles like Super Mario Run or Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. GamesIndustry.biz says Nintendo is focusing on Mario Kart Tour and Dr. Mario World and that no mention of new mobile games was made in the company's fiscal report.
Finally, some mildly bad news for 3DS lovers. Hardware sales dropped 62.9 percent year-on-year, with just 370,000 3DS units sold. Software saw a similar 58.5% year-on-year drop. With Nintendo starting to wind the 3DS down as the Switch takes its place, these numbers perhaps aren't surprising, but shed a tear for Nintendo's erstwhile handheld giant nonetheless.
How do you feel about these numbers? Do you have a Switch Lite? Let us know in the comments below!
