Nintendo Console Market Share in Japan Was Higher Than Ever in 2019

Tomas Franzese January 8, 2020 1:17 PM EST

Nintendo dominated 80% of the Japanese console market in 2019 thanks to the Switch's success, leading to one of the company's best years ever in Japan.

It’s no secret that the Nintendo Switch has been a runaway success all around the world with at least 41.67 million units sold. That being said, last year turned out to be specifically great in Japan according to data recently released by Famitsu. The data, which was originally posted by @oscarlemaire and translated by DualShockers’ own Senior Staff Writer Iyane Agossah, shows that not only is Nintendo dominating the country’s gaming hardware scene, but that 2019 was a general high point for Nintendo as well.

That tweet reveals that 80% of the console market in Japan is dominated by Nintendo, with 76% being solely dedicated to Nintendo Switch. While the 3DS is clearly declining in popularity, the Switch’s outstanding success has made the drop negligible. These same numbers also reveal that Nintendo Switch market share saw a radical increase 29%, cementing Nintendo’s renewed foothold in the region it is based out of.

Sur l’année 2019, Nintendo détient quasiment 80% du marché des consoles au Japon. 76% rien que pour la Switch, dont les ventes augmentent de 29% par rapport à 2018, ce qui permet de compenser le déclin de la PS4 et la 3DS, et stabiliser le secteur. (chiffres Famitsu) pic.twitter.com/uGqmES5lst — Oscar Lemaire (@oscarlemaire) January 8, 2020

When the timeline is broadened, Nintendo’s performance still remains impressive. Oscar Lemaire also points out that looking at Famitsu’s data from 1999 to 2019 reveals that last year was the best year ever for Nintendo in terms of console market share. For a company that has been around in this industry since near the beginning, this is an impressive feat.

Depuis qu’on a les chiffres de Famitsu, donc au moins depuis 20 ans, c’est la plus forte domination de Nintendo sur le marché console au Japon. pic.twitter.com/lgiMqlgwuK — Oscar Lemaire (@oscarlemaire) January 8, 2020

With a great lineup of games like Super Mario Maker 2 and Pokemon Sword and Shield too, 2019 will certainly be a Nintendo Switch year to remember. If you finally want to jump on the Nintendo Switch bandwagon, the system is currently available on Amazon.

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