2018 is already behind and despite the indications for its limited software offer during its second year in the market, it seems that things have gone well for Nintendo Switch, causing the picture to look positive for the hybrid console. In that sense, and taking advantage of the beginning of 2019, forecasts about what will happen this year are already traveling the world and some analysts believe that Switch will be the best-selling console of the year.
In an exercise carried out by Gamesindustry, different analysts of the video game industry talked about their forecast regarding the sale of consoles for 2019 and many of them agreed that the hardware sales success during the year will be for the hybrid console of Nintendo.
In this regard, Dr. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games Inc. predicted that Switch will continue to enjoy success in 2019 and its third-party game offer will increase as companies will feel secure after consolidating the console in the market. Also, the analyst mentioned that, in addition to a model defined as Pro, 2019 will see the release of a simple version of Switch that covers the output of 3DS and represents an economic option for players.
For its part, Michael Pachter, of Wedbush Securities, did not venture to say that Switch will be the best-selling console of 2019, but he did predict that a new model, purely portable and with the Joy-Con adhered to a single piece, will debut this year.
Also, Piers Harding-Rolls of IHS Markit was one of the most enthusiastic about the success of Switch, but also noted that this will be influenced by a decline in sales of PS4 and Xbox One before the imminent announcement of the upcoming consoles: “Switch will be the best selling console in 2019 as PS4 and Xbox One shift into the late stage phase of their sales lifecycles. We may get more details on how Nintendo aims to plug the gap in its portfolio left by the declining 3DS platform. One option is to do nothing and stick with the current Switch strategy. That simplifies the platform strategy but may not be the most commercially efficient.”
Finally, Mat Piscatella, NPD Group, also joined the favorable forecast trend for the Nintendo hybrid console and ranked it as the console that will sell more in 2019: “I have Switch achieving more than 35%
So, at least on paper, the expectation for the commercial performance of Switch in 2019 is at the highest level, so we must be aware of the sales reports to know if the forecasts were correct.
What do you think about it? Will Nintendo Switch be the market leader in 2019?