A recent report from The Game Business, shared by Chris Dring, reveals that third-party games at the launch of the Switch 2 have experienced low sales figures. Most players have primarily focused on Nintendo’s first-party title, Mario Kart World.
Data from NielsenIQ shows that 86% of physical Switch 2 game sales were first-party, including the Mario Kart World bundle. Excluding that bundle, the number drops to 48%. In the US, Circana reports 68% first-party physical sales excluding the bundle. By comparison, Switch 1’s launch saw 89% first-party sales in the UK and 81% in the US. However, the Switch 2 launch featured a broader selection of physical games.
The best-selling third-party title was Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition. Sega ranked as the third largest third-party publisher on Switch 2, releasing launch titles such as Sonic X Shadow Generations, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S.
One unnamed publisher described their initial sales as “below our lowest estimates,” despite strong hardware sales.
Several factors may explain the weak third-party sales: many consumers buy Nintendo consoles mainly for Nintendo games; the Switch 2 is backward compatible, allowing enhanced play of Switch 1 titles without new purchases; most third-party games are ports players may already own; the majority of third-party games are sold on Game-Key Cards, which have faced criticism from the community; and Nintendo’s late release of review units limited early consumer insight into third-party game performance. For example, Hitman World of Assassination suffers from significant frame rate issues despite promising specs.
Looking ahead, with upcoming major Nintendo releases such as Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokémon Legends: Z-A planned for this year, third-party publishers may continue to face challenges in gaining traction on Switch 2.