Nintendo has sold over 5.3 billion games in 38 years

From the NES to the Switch, Nintendo has sold over 5 billion games in the last 39 years.

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Nintendo is one of the most powerful forces in the entertainment industry. Its booming games hardware business has delivered over $200 billion in revenues since the NES released in 1983. Other figure are just as surprising: Nintendo has shipped over 814 million devices in the last 39 years (it sold over sold 533 million handhelds alone).

Software is where the real numbers lie. Nintendo has sold an incredible 5.318 billion games to date across all of its reported hardware lines. That includes all systems from the original NES to the DS and the newer Switch.

• Read more: Xbox Series generation helped make $80.8 billion for Microsoft
• Read more: Nintendo expects Switch to beat the DS and become its new best-selling system
• Read more: Nintendo Switch platform hits $85 billion in lifetime sales revenue, 1.3 billion games sold

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The Nintendo Switch is currently Nintendo's third best-selling console in terms of both software and hardware. The Switch just beat the Wii's shipments and may even conquer the Wii's might 920 million games sold through the next two years.

Interestingly enough, Sony has actually sold more games than Nintendo has. Since the PlayStation 1's release in 1997, Sony has sold 5.646 billion units of software across all of its platforms.

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