Switch 2 boosts third-party sales by $1 billion, analyst firm estimates WB Games, Bandai, & EA earned $100 million+

UK-based Analyst firm Ampere Analysis examines how the Switch 2's launch has affected third-party game sales, leading to a substantial +76% increase in software earnings on the Switch ecosystem.

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Thanks to unrelenting software exclusivity, consumers typically buy Nintendo first-party games to play on Nintendo consoles. These titles are designed to be must-haves that can't be played anywhere else. Yet the Switch 2's release has catalyzed a mighty push of third-party software--which makes sense, because 3P vastly outnumbers Nintendo's catalog.

According to a new report from Ampere Analysis, the Switch 2's release helped boost third-party software sales by over 75% year-over-year, tacking on an additional $1 billion in revenue over a 9-month period. (Note: these sales are across both the Switch 1 and Switch 2 platform). The firm does a breakdown estimation on how much the top companies earned during the launch blitz, with Warner Bros. leading the charge primarily due to Hogwarts Legacy's success.

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The increase in revenue is also due to the increase in MSRP for the software itself; many of these games have increased in price, especially the Switch 2 versions. Ampere notes that overall game unit sales were down 2.5% through the tracked period, meaning consumers are now paying more and buying less units.

Perhaps the most illuminating part of the analysis is how Ampere frames the Switch 2's importance in the current industry landscape.

With Sony and Microsoft raising prices of their consoles to astronomical heights, developers and publishers could now be eyeing the Switch 2 as a more viable platform because it's much more accessible than those of Nintendo's competitors.

"Switch 2 is set to play a more important role in third-party publisher platform strategies for several key commercial reasons," Ampere says in the report.

"The success of the original Switch, with 154 million units in the hands of consumers by the end of 2025, means Switch 2 is more heavily targeted by publishers seeking to reach new audiences.

"At the same time, the combined active installed base of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles is about 15 million units below the previous generation. This 13% decline in addressable devices is increasing the importance of Switch 2 within publisher platform strategies."