The Switch was Nintendo’s fastest selling gaming system for the US market in its launch month, according to Nintendo.
The company sold over 906,000 Switches in the US in March.
The previous record was set by the GameCube, which sold over 660,000 units in the US during the first month it was released in November 2001. The Wii sold 470,000 units in the US in its launch month of November 2006.
The US is Nintendo’s largest market, accounting for 40% of total revenue.
Analysts reacted to the announcement, with Nintendo stock increasing by as much as 3.5% on news of robust sales.
Nintendo cited data by the market research company NPD, which it said is trustworthy, but not the company’s official figures.
The official global sales figure will be released on April 21 – when the company reports its full year earnings for the year ended March 31. According to Forbes, “some analysts are pinning the total global sales between 2.5 and 3 million.”
The most popular game for the Switch, The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, sold 925,000 copies in the US – an attach rate of above 100%, which suggests that some consumers purchased more than two copies.
“While Nintendo Switch sales are off to a record-breaking start, shipments have not yet been able to keep up with such high demand,” the company said in a statement.
“Nintendo is working to make sure everyone who wants a system is able to buy one, and more systems are continually being shipped.”
Nintendo projects net profit of ¥90 billion ($US825 million) on ¥470 billion in revenue for fiscal 2016.
