Even before releasing its entirely portable Switch Lite in 2019, Nintendo frequently named the fabled Second Household Switch as its biggest growth opportunity in the West. Now, reflecting on the financial results of its 2020-21 year, Nintendo has shed some light on how that particular opportunity has played out.
Speaking during an investor Q&A, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa shared that roughly 20 percent of the Nintendo Switch systems it sold during the year ending March 31, 2021 were to households that already owned the system.
This means that around 5.8 million of the last year’s Nintendo Switch sales were to folks looking to pick up a second console for their home, potentially as a gift for a partner or child, or, in the case of the Switch Lite, as a dedicated system to use on the go.
That being said, Furukawa doesn’t believe the desire for second Switch systems has been quenched quite yet.
“Going forward, we expect demand for multiple systems per household will increase even as hardware unit sales grow,” says Furukawa. “By region, significant sales growth is continuing in Asia, and we believe there is still room for sufficient growth of new demand in Europe and the United States, considering the sizes of those populations.”
Elsewhere throughout the call, Furukawa commented that the March 2020 release of Animal Crossing has helped introduce first-time Switch buyers to other evergreen Nintendo franchises like Mario and Zelda, while also taking the time to voice concerns over ongoing production issues and shortages.