There’s no denying that the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 have sold like hot cakes, a statement that always confuses me. Right now, I’m imagining hordes of people, braying for the baker to release the hottest of pastries and happily burning themselves on the molten hot icing with reckless abandon for the scalding sweetness inside. Welcome to my brain on Wednesday.
Anyway, Microsoft and Sony are likely to have a very busy year. Demand for the new consoles is there, and with more people turning to video games to help stave off boredom during lockdowns, gaming is a surefire bet on which markets to keep your eyes on. Even though those consoles are pegged to sell a massive amount of units, NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella, Kantan Games’ Dr. Serkan Toto, and Ampere Analysis’ Piers Harding-Rolls believe that the Nintendo Switch will once again come out on top in 2021.
Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, the trio of analysts predicted a sales win for Nintendo, even if the long-rumoured Nintendo Switch Pro model doesn’t appear this year.
“Despite the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, it will be the Nintendo Switch that ends up selling the most units of console hardware in 2021,” Mat Piscatella said, adding that Nintendo’s games will drive sales in 2021. “Everybody expecting the Switch to run out of steam in 2021 is in for a bitter disappointment,” Toto added. while also throwing a hat in the ring with a prediction of the Switch Pro landing this year.
“The Switch will be the best-selling console this year as well, driven by more first-party games, a hardware refresh, and the device having developed into a lifestyle product for the mass market over the course of 2020.”
Piers Harding-Rolls from Ampere Analysis also reckons that we’ll get the hardware refresh treatment. “Last year I was unconvinced there would be a new flagship model Switch in 2020, but it makes more commercial sense to release an updated version in 2021,” he said. Last year saw the Switch beat both Sony and Microsoft when all the numbers were tallied up.
It’s worth noting that there are numerous factors around this success though. Besides the obvious legacy of Nintendo’s brand that’s still plenty powerful, a lower price point, available stock and sales coming at a time when PS4 and Xbox One sales were dwindling in preparation for the sparse number of PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles on offer, all led to the Big N recording a fantastic year on the market.
Last Updated: January 6, 2021
