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The 30 biggest Sales Success of the Switch era (FINAL UPDATE: COMPLETE!)

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Pokémon Scarlet/Violet is an enormous success any way you cut it:

1. It shares the record (with Tears of the Kingdom) for best global three day sales period ever for a Nintendo game: 10 million.

2. It holds the record for best Japanese launch ever for any game: 4.05 million.

3. It now holds the record for best selling Pokémon game in Japan, finally surpassing the (once thought impossible) heights of Red/Green/Blue.

4. It will soon outsell its system Pokémon predecessor, something that has never happened before in franchise history.

GB/C: RGB (31.1) > GS (23.7)
DS: DP (17.7) > BW (15.6)
3DS: XY (16.7) > SM (16.3)
Switch: SS (26.6) > SV (26.4) for now...

5. It will do something that no other Switch sequel has done: outsell its direct Switch predecessor:

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 > Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Splatoon 2 > Splatoon 3
Super Mario Party > Mario Party Superstsrs > Super Mario Party Jamboree
Breath of the Wild > Tears of the Kingdom
Three Houses > Engage
Kingdom Battle > Sparks of Hope
Sword/Shield > Scarlet/Violet (for now...)

Huge success, and as @Koni said, sold of its positive word of mouth. I firmly believe thay SV is the future of the series: to explore an open world of Pokémon, and see how these monsters inhabit and interact within that world. The market clearly responded, and I can't wait to see where we go next!
 
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a game that a lot of people feel easy to bad-mouth or say it wasn't what the franchise needed to be. But it's undeniable that not only cemented Xenoblade IP into Nintendo greats, but also skyrocketed the franchise popularity with its great visuals, a emotionally deep story and bombastic soundtrack. Not only that, but it was the first big JRPG success story on Switch, acting as a trailblazer and attracting JRPG fans to the console, paving the way for others JRPGs franchises to come unto the console.

I'm very happy to see it being recognized into the list and can't wait to see more from Xenoblade on Switch 2!
 
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    • 5. Ring Fit Adventure (2019) - 216 pts

    H2x1_NSwitch_RingFitAdventure_Teasers_image1600w.jpg


    Last known milestone: 15,38M units sold as of March 2023

    Where to begin? When Nintendo showcased their latest new concept the reception was pretty lukewarm. Didn't they learn about how LABO went? Do they still believe that the Wii audience is there, despite the struggles to recapture it over the last decade? Who is this product aiming for? In this digital age, what's the actual potential of a physical-only product?

    Yet, by mixing physical exercise and a RPG adventure, Nintendo struck a cord. By going against industry trends they found an audience that was looking to gamify more extensively their daily workouts. The new IP had an impressive sales performance, with a solid debut and very impressive legs. In Japan, we knew the game would be be big as soon as we saw this:

    01./00. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure <HOB> (Nintendo) {2019.10.18} (¥7.980) - 68.497 / NEW <60-80%>
    02./01. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure <HOB> (Nintendo) {2019.10.18} (¥7.980) - 64.045 / 132.542 <80-100%> (-6%)

    Game are usually dropping by 80% (+/- 10%) in their second week so seeing a sub-10% drop made it very clear that Ring Fit would be there for the long run. Demand far exceeded supply in its launch quarter, and the situation eventually extended to Europe too. The COVID pandemic logically increased demand, and complicated supply, for the game but its performance before and after COVID is very impressive nonetheless. Cheekily, we could say that it became the second biggest JRPG behind the Pokémon series, but there's no doubt that it is one of the most successful new IPs of the last decade.
     
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    • Hey, "there for the long run".

    Muhahaha.

    Ring Fit Adventure deserves its reception. If a top 50 rankings was available, I'd wager that Fitness Boxing would have earned a spot. RFA's success spilled over and other titles benefited from it.

    If I had a wish for the successor's software library, it would be for it to have more quality fitness titles. Fist of the North Star for example is good but it would benefit from a more engrossing story.

    What I am trying to say is that if you use an IP, then go all the way and propose a narrative experience. Naruto, Star Wars, DBZ, Marvel, DC, etc. could attract the masses. There is a market!
     
    RFA is a great reminder that Nintendo consistently looks for ways to expand the gaming audience rather than drawing from other series' audiences: RFA was the first video game that I'm aware of to be prominently featured in sports chain Decathlon stores. I can't wait to see how it's inevitable Switch 2 follow-up performs.
     
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    • 4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) - 268 pts

    high-resolution-of-extended-version-of-smash-ultimate-v0-stv82k1h9ppa1.png


    Top rank: #3
    Last known milestone: 35,88M units sold as of December 2024
    Previous Best: Smash for (3DS/WiiU, 2014) - 15,03M as of March 2024

    Everyone is here! Sakurai and his team really outdid themselves to deliver on a promise even the most die hard fans didn't think was possible. Ultimate extended Smash and the whole fighting genre to horizons that were mostly unexplored. The amount of characters, music, stages, content and stakeholders involved was almost overwhelming.

    Some might have thought that Ultimate overstayed its welcome during some of the Nintendo Directs of that era, especially because of the heavy focus it got during the E3 2018 Direct. However, it was a game fitting of that attention. Launch was an event with over 5M units sold-through first week and over 12M shipped units in less than one month. It was a launch far beyond anything we saw before on the Switch, and more broadly for a console that wasn't even 2 years old at that time.

    However, Smash wasn't only an event at launch and its legacy was also built thanks to the very strong support it got after that. Joker, DQ's Hero(es), Banjo, Terry, Byleth, Min-Min, Steve, Sephiroth, Pyra/Mythra, Kazuya until the very symbolic conclusion with Sora... From March 2018 to October 2021, Smash was its own hype cycle, delivering the greatest character reveal trailers in the industry and contributing to the game's mainstay power in the charts. More than the ultimate Smash game, Ultimate became eternal to fans and to the sales history books.
     
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    • I think it was MaxDood that called Smash "Video Games the Video Game", and he's exactly right.

    Super Smash Bros., especially Ultimate, is a celebration of all that is gaming squeezed into a tiny cartridge. It's more than a game, but a years-long event that brings people from all across the gaming world together. Every direct, some of of the biggest hype was not for what games would be announced, but what surprise character would make it on the Smash roster.

    Some of the crazies fan moments (and some of the stupidest fan moments, forums bring the best and worst of gamers ^_^; ) of the generation were because of this game. But the game kept going. Year after year, Smash still tops the charts. It's a wonderful mix of open mechanics that invite gamers of all stripes, and deep enough mechanics to reward dedication and mastery.

    Smash Ultimate feels like the pinnacle of the series. The past four games culminated to this one great celebration. I just dont see how Nintendo (and Sakurai, willing!) keeps going with such a difficult amalgamation of IP management hell. Do we start anew? Start fresh? Start small? Brand new movesets?

    Who knows? But one thing is for certain, Ultimate was certainly the Ultimate Smash Bros., and the Ultimate fighting game. Hot take: No other fighting game comes close to the financial success of Smash Bros. Ultimate (eat your heart out Street Fighter II).
     
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    AuroraMusisAmica said:
    I think it was MaxDood that called Smash "Video Games the Video Game", and he's exactly right.
    Click to expand...

    Yep, huge celebration of many of the biggest IPs in video games and a bunch of fan favourites.
    It cannot be understated how incredible the roster for that game ended up being, truly a colossal achievement.
    So many iconic characters really had movesets that just felt right for who they were, and that's not not an easy feat considering how many they were and how varied they could be.


    AuroraMusisAmica said:
    Who knows? But one thing is for certain, Ultimate was certainly the Ultimate Smash Bros., and the Ultimate fighting game. Hot take: No other fighting game comes close to the financial success of Smash Bros. Ultimate (eat your heart out Street Fighter II).
    Click to expand...

    Them fighting words!
    Does anyone even know how much revenue(and profit) was generated with SF2 and its fleet of arcade cabinets?
     
    On the topic of sales and of anthology fighting games, I can't help but remember Jump Ultimate Stars on the DS. It was promised to become in Japan what Smash is today: a multi-million seller for the ages. But instead, it didn't even frankly outsell its predecessor.

    To this day, I am puzzled by this anomaly.
     
    #1 to me could be Zelda BotW - even if it hasn't been the absolute best seller on the Switch, to me has been the gen-defining title

    Similar to what Wii Sport has been for the Wii, for example.
     
    Evilnemesis8 said:
    Them fighting words!
    Does anyone even know how much revenue(and profit) was generated with SF2 and its fleet of arcade cabinets?
    Click to expand...

    I did a quick search and found that a few sources like Wikipedia stated 10.61 billion usd. Which just feels too large. I did trace the source to this article.

    www.gamerevolution.com

    World of Warcraft Leads Industry With Nearly $10 Billion In Revenue

    Money maker.
    www.gamerevolution.com www.gamerevolution.com

    Which doesn’t seem to source it from anywhere else and used it as an estimate and compared that figure to wow. It also does not mention if it takes inflation into account or not (saw therefore a 5.31 billion dollar figure but it was also taken from the same article).

    I also saw figures that street fighter as a series has sold more than 500 000 arcades, source seems to be from guinness world records (2008). And the vast majority should be street fighter II

    Most of the money would have to be from those arcades. So some estimate could maybe be made, at least for direct sales. Which would be nowhere near those earlier numbers, without searching for specific prizes of the different types, I would guess it ends up around a billion usd? (Would be around 2000$ for a cabinet).

    Then comes the question if only the money they received from selling the cabinets should be counted or if one should count the revenue those who bought the cabinets made. If we count that and assume they made a profit it would add at least another billion and probably a lot more. Still 10 billion USD feels far too much. One could probably find estimations off how much arcades made per cabinet of popular games like SFII, but it would be a large margin of error.

    Adding what arcades made I think SFII would have made more than SSBU but Capcom probably made a lot less profit than Nintendo did as their profit should mostly be direct sales of cabinet and console games. (They rented cabinets too but no clue about that number)
     
    Would love to know how much the Smash DLC sold some day. The actual sales numbers of SSBU are just one part of that game's success.
     
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    • 3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) - 377 pts

    H2x1_NSwitch_MarioKart8Deluxe_image1600w.jpg


    Top rank: #1
    Last known milestone: 67,35M units sold as of December 2024
    Previous Best: Mario Kart Wii (2008) - 37,38M as of March 2023

    Who could have said that this WiiU port, launched in the Switch's second month in April 2017, would become the best-selling game on the console? Nintendo's best-selling non-bundled game? Of course, Mario Kart 8 was already a huge success on the Wii U, despite the low userbase. We are talking about a game that sold 8.46M units on a 13.56M userbase, a whooping 62% attach-rate. A game that defied Polygon's poor use of charts and graphs to stand above huge games on consoles multiple times more popular. However, in pure Mario Kart fashion, a comeback is always possible.

    On Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe refined the gameplay and content of an excellent entry. The game's strength shined on Nintendo's latest console with the out of the box multiplayer, great visuals and performance. The multiple playstyle the Switch offered gave a versatility no other Mario Kart game had in the past. It easily became one of the easiest game to recommend and the one Nintendo decided to bundle with his console for so many years.

    On the content side, the game got expanded with an Expansion Pass model that brought back content from the mobile entry (which eventually was the only new MK game of that generation) and doubled the amount of races available. Just like Smash Bros. Ultimate, the final package of this entry was incredibly rich, and it is a testament of its quality that this WiiU 2014 entry managed to grow years after years on Switch, with an attach-rate that stayed extremely high during its whole lifespan.
     
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    • 67M sales and counting on a single console is absolutely astounding.

    And its very well deserved, I think Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best racing game ever made, particularly with the great value DLC pack.

    That being said, this game is now 11 years old and I'm dying to to finally play a new one. Can't wait to see what it looks like tomorrow.
     
    Nintendo was basically forced to lead the Switch 2 reveal with Mario Kart after MK8D shattered pretty much every single platform sales record in existence
     
    #2 New
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    • 2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) - 424 pts

    9989957eae3a6b545194c42fec2071675c34aadacd65e6b33fdfe7b3b6a86c3a


    Top rank: #1
    Last known milestone: 47,44M units sold as of December 2024
    Previous Best: Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012) - 13,05M as of March 2024

    When the world is falling apart, escaping to another one is often a very desirable option. Released in the early weeks of the COVID pandemic, Animal Crossing provided a heartwarming place for people to go, hang out and meet. It became a social hub where podcasts, music and art were born. Its synergy with the Switch Lite did wonders and propelled the console to a whole new level of sales.

    However, Animal Crossing didn't wait until a pandemic to show the signs of a huge franchise in the making. It was one of Nintendo's only franchise to grow in the transition from DS to 3DS (11,75M -> 13,05M) despite the userbase being cut in half. Despite what some believed at the time, it was in a very different ballpark than other Japanese IPs, no matter how legendary they were.

    New Horizons sales tracked almost on par with tentpole games like Red Dead Redemption 2 in its first year. Its staying power was also impressive and it extended the Switch audience beyond the initial rush of people buying the console in 2017/2018 for Zelda, Mario or Smash. The one-two punch with Pokémon Sword/Shield was very impactful. Its most significant achievement is most probably its crown as the best-selling game of all-times in Japan with more than 11.5M units sold there. For reference, Pokémon R/G kept that title since 1996 with ""only"" 8.24M units. Fair to say that Animal Crossing took that decades-old record to New Horizons.
     
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    • BOTW then since while it wasn't the top seller, it may well be THE most important release in the system's history as a launch title.
     
    BotW shielded the platform from much criticisms (unfair or fair) at the beginning. The Switch launched with little 3rdParty support, no VC or Backwards Compatibility.
    Even BotW only being a very good game might not have been enough to secure a successful launch and positive mindshare prior to it. It really needed to be a Game of the Generation for people to give Nintendo and the platform a chance again after the WiiU/3DS generation.

    I remember a lot of negativity during the Januar 2017 Switch conference, people werent sold on what Nintendo was showing in combination with the price. Then at the end they showed one of the best trailers ever and confirmed that Link and BotW would be ready for the Switch launch.

    Rest was history.
     
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    • 1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) - 492 pts

    SI_WiiU_TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild_image1600w.jpg


    Top rank: #1
    Last known Wii U milestone: 1,70M units sold as of December 2022
    Last known Switch milestone: 32,62M units sold as of December 2024
    Previous Best: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GC/Wii, 2006) - 8,93M as of September 2023
    Previous Entry: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii, 2011) - 3,67M as of December 2014

    What more can be said that hasn't been already? Breath of the Wild sales success is intimely tied to the Switch. They both launched together, sold well right of the gate but broke their records thanks to their longevity, brought a lot of new ideas and expanded their audience beyond the core. Their fates are so intertwined that it is difficult to say which one of the two impacted the other the most.

    Breath of the Wild, beyond the accolades and the prestige of a GOTY, GOTG or even GOAT, depending on who you ask, also set up some pretty insane milestones from the get go. At launch in the US, the game managed to reach an attach-rate of 102%. This isn't a typo, the game actually sold more (925.000 units on Switch) than consoles (906.000). This was only the first step of a legendary as the core-oriented single-player game showed the sales patterns of Nintendo's greatest evergreens, which never happened in the series before. It sold consistently and eventually outpaced most of the huge releases that would come after before eventually settling for this incredible #4 spot in the Switch best-sellers list. Above Mario, Pokémon and many franchises that were just bigger than the LoZ.

    The game was also a breath of fresh air for the gaming industry and showed another path for open-world games to take, with player's agency and emerging gameplay at their forefront. After Skyward Sword's underwhelming performance on the Wii, with only 3,67M units sold, this was a resounding comeback, a needed reset that pushed the franchise back to its rightful place.

    All in all, this is probably the perfect game to end this nostalgic trip down the memory lane through this TOP 30. The Switch era is ending, and by revisiting all these milestones, records and stories, it is clear that the Switch 2 will have a lot to live up to.

    Still... aren't you excited by all these worlds, just waiting behind the curtain, for you to explore? Well, as Zelda said, it is time to open your eyes Link ;)
     
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    • I think it was @Welfare that mentioned this fact I forgot about:

    In the March 2017 NPD charts, The Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sold more copies than the Switch itself. And that was just the beginning.

    It is the game that redefined its own series' legacy as well as the system it was played on. The legacy of a game consoles is ultimately not of its gimmicks or its bits or its teraflops, but by the wonderful games that people love.

    Switch's success, perhaps one day even being *the* success, is because of the wonderful adventures we got to have on that quirky hybrid system. And Breath of the Wild was one of its finest.

    IMG_20170304_182452_987.jpg


    This was my adventure on March 3, 2017. A lot has changed since then. I won't be able to have new adventures with my Shiba, but she was there with me then, and all throughout the other 29 adventures we've celebrated in this thread. I'll treasure those moments.

    Thanks for the journey. Thanks for all your hard work and love for games @Lelouch0612 . Here's to a wonderful new adventure awaiting us all tomorrow. Cheers.
     
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    Thank you so much for this thread!

    It just so happens that my favourite video game snagged first place, which is a neat treat, but the write-ups were all fun!
     
    Echoing the general sentiment here, really lovely breakdown to read. Although I was fairly knowledgeable about most of these sales figures, I wasn't here (and at the old place) for most of these so it feels doubly awesome to read them.
     
    I am glad we could build such list together which fused everyone's expertise. It cements Installebaseforum's place as an authority in all things related to Nintendo and sales. Well done, Lelouch!
     
    Great thread. I doubt any similar thread is of such high quality anywhere else on the web.
     
    Great thread, thanks to @Lelouch0612 and our own votes!
    Me, I've personally done a list (not ranked) of the 10 most important (not the best ones necessarily) games of the Switch gen, split into two articles on my site

    It's in Italian, if someone is interested in reading it: for each I tried to explain WHY it has been iconic and/or important for the entire Switch business generation

    PART 1:
    • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
    • Octopath Traveler
    • Ring Fit Adventures
    • Animal Crossing: New Horizons
    • DOOM (2016)
    PART 2:
    • Fire Emblem: Three Houses
    • Pikmin 4
    • Xenoblade Chronicles 2
    • Metroid Dread
    • Monster Hunter: Rise


    As you can see, there is no Pokémon game, but just because in my humble opinion, that brand has granted its own article
    In fact, I've written a specific analysis of the brand and its cooperation with the Switch in highlighting the hybrid nature at its best, in terms of business for Nintendo and advantage for the consumer

    Pokémon x Nintendo Switch


    it really has been a great hardware/software generation, able to prove how strong the hybrid device idea is, when you can count on these strong and varied IPs
     
    I didn't find time to cast my votes before the deadline, but I loved reading this thread. This savvy community chose well!

    Thank you @Lelouch0612 for the great job that you did here, and also @AuroraMusisAmica for your on point commentary!
     
    A couple of graphs to illustrate the results:

    eqJyIas.png


    uTSICxl.png


    The biggest Switch success stories were mostly written in the beginning, that's why the first year is such a crucial time for a new console. It forges its own identity and gives the momentum it needs to sell over a long period of time. Nevertheless, the Q4 2018 - Q1 2020 period for the Switch acted as a relaunch with successful consoles revisions and defining games.

    Finally, although the 2022-2023 period was extremely rich for the console in terms of big releases, it was extremely challenging to crack into the top 10. Console hardware peak is behind and you are competiting against much more games which had much more time to sell. That can explain the softer 2024, as potential will be larger in 2025 thanks to the Switch 2 launch, the cycle begins anew.
     
    For further context Nintendo release 11 games in 2017 at retail.

    That mean 9 out 11 games are in this top 30.

    In average the number of Nintendo retail release by year from 2017 to 2024 was 12 (97÷8) including exclusive games from 3rd party using Nintendo IP like Mario Rabbits and Hyrule warriors but not NA/EU localisation from 3rd party like Octopath Traveller.
     
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    Astral_lion02 said:
    For further context Nintendo release 11 games in 2017 at retail.

    That mean 9 out 11 games are in this top 30.

    In average the number of Nintendo retail release by year from 2017 to 2024 was 12 (97÷8) including exclusive games from 3rd party using Nintendo IP like Mario Rabbits and Hyrule warriors but not NA/EU localisation from 3rd party like Octopath Traveller.
    Click to expand...
    Keep in mind that were 3rd party games in 2017 like Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Disgaea and Mario + Rabbids.
     
    This was a very fun thread, thanks for putting it together @Lelouch0612 !

    I'm very glad BOTW was #1, its a really special game for me.

    It was my first Zelda game since I was a Playstation kid growing up. Open world games could also be very hit or miss for me, I ended up bouncing off many of them like TW3. I thought linear games were always going to be my favourite style. I didn't really know whether I'd like it or not and was debating whether to pick it up when I got a Switch around Christmas 2017.

    I'm so glad I did, as it became my favourite game of all time.

    There was a moment something like 30 hours into the game that I'll never forget. I was roaming around in the Faron region, many hours into a single play session. I suddenly realised what I'd been doing for the last few hours and had to stop playing for a moment as I got quite emotional. I'd spent many, many hours joyfully exploring the world in a direction the game hadn't told me to go, just because it was fun to do. I couldn't believe it, in every open world game I'd ever played before I always headed straight towards objective markers and didn't bother exploring elsewhere.

    I'd assumed it was just a lack of patience or adventuring spirit on my part, but BOTW made me realise it was that other open world games up to this point just weren't good at encouraing exploration. Littered with map markers for everything, most games told you before you got somewhere whether there was anything material to find or not. If there's no "?" on the map then why even bother going that way? And games that went away from that icon driven approach weren't very good at subtly guiding you towards interesting places.

    BOTW gives you essentially 0 map markers in an endlessley rewarding map with lots to find - shrines that are fun to solve and let you upgrade your health and stamina, hidden koroks to spot to upgrade your inventory capacity, side quests, minigames and other fun things to run into. All of this is masterfully teased by interesting landmarks and environmental structures, meaning you will run into most meaningful content eventually even without an icon to point you to where it is. It's a world made for exploring, and the first large scale video game to make you really feel like you're on an exciting adventure, like you're the first person discovering a beautiful world for the very first time.

    So there I had that realization, that it wasn't a me problem, that I could spend hours exploring and getting lost in a world, it just took a truly special game to make that a genuinely great time. I do have adventuring spirit, exploring and discovering a world for myself rather than being guided by markers was delightful and rewarding. BOTW was the first game to ever make me feel anything like this. I knew then that BOTW was the best game I'd ever played. A once in a lifetime adventure and the jewel in the crown of the Nintendo Switch.
     
    Astral_lion02 said:
    For further context Nintendo release 11 games in 2017 at retail.

    That mean 9 out 11 games are in this top 30.

    In average the number of Nintendo retail release by year from 2017 to 2024 was 12 (97÷8) including exclusive games from 3rd party using Nintendo IP like Mario Rabbits and Hyrule warriors but not NA/EU localisation from 3rd party like Octopath Traveller.
    Click to expand...
    Nintendo releases per year by my count using this formula (1st party + 3rd party using Nintendo IP - 3rd party pickups):

    PACKAGED
    2017: 11
    2018: 16
    2019: 14
    2020: 11
    2021: 15
    2022: 10
    2023: 13
    2024: 11
    2025: 2 (released) + 2 (announced)
    2026: 2 (announced)

    eSHOP ONLY
    2017: 4
    2018: 9
    2019: 11
    2020: 16
    2021: 3
    2022: 4
    2023: 2
    2024: 4
    2025: 1 (released) + 1 (announced)

    NINTENDO SWITCH ONLINE
    2018: 18 (NES)
    2019: 17 (NES) + 15 (SNES)
    2020: 1 (NES) + 7 (SNES)
    2021: 1 (SNES) + 9 (N64)
    2022: 2 (NES) + 3 (SNES) + 12 (N64)
    2023: 2 (NES) + 6 (N64) + 14 (GB) + 13 (GBA)
    2024: 8 (NES) + 2 (SNES) + 12 (GB) + 12 (GBA)
    2025: 1 (SNES) + 2 (GB) + 1 (GBA)


    edit: If you're curious about those sizable digital only numbers you can thank Hamster (Arcade Archives) and Jupiter (Picross) rather than Nintendo themselves.
     
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    disgaea 5 complete on switch will probably be lapped by the pc version eventually, but last i knew it was the best-selling sku. if/when disgaea 5 (combined) reaches a million units in sales, i wonder if we'll see a full breakdown.

    one thing that came early on from western salespeople: no one was certain of a 59.99 game on switch. retailers and salesfolk thought the cap was 39.99 for successful third-party software because switch was a handheld like 3ds/vita. now, that barrier was going to crack pretty early regardless with mario kart and zelda leading the way, but d5c's success was a surprise to everyone and showed a certain group of people that even "full price" third-party games had a future on switch.

    within 2017 nis america had already convinced third-parties to make switch versions, and if a company wasn't planning a switch version, nis america worked with development outside studios to make it happen. that all started with disgaea 5 complete's sleeper hit status.
     
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