It’s interesting to see the ripple-down effect of any successful product in the marketplace, and straight from the headlines we now have some proof that the success of the Nintendo Switch in Japan has resulted in a boom in the console market after a decade-long slump. According to statistics released by Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, there has been a spike in overall console sales across the country since the Nintendo Switch hit store shelves.
When it first arrived in 2017, the console market (figures include software, digital, and hardware) reached an equivalent of $3.5 billion in sales, which was a 22% increase from 2016. Prior to this increase, the last big bump in the market was the release of the Nintendo DS Lite in 2007, where annual console sales in Japan peaked at an equivalent of $6.4 billion.
The discrepancy is still significant, but not as wide as it has been since the declining trend after 2007. Presently, smartphone games dominate the marketplace in Japan, with $11 billion in annual sales—literally three times the revenue generated over the console market.
What does this mean for the future of console gaming in Japan? We’ll keep reporting as figures and analyses come in.
