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[Bazry]

According to Christopher Dring (ex MCV)

https://twitter.com/Chris_Dring/status/907547744994295808

UK sales of Switch are slower compared with other markets. But doing ok. Currently ahead of Xbox One for the year (but well behind PS4)

Thought this was interesting as the UK is arguably Nintendo's worst market and up until recently we've had stock issues here sometimes going up to a month being unavailable. Without actual numbers its hard to tell if this is a good sign for Nintendo, or more showing how badly the XB1 is doing in the UK this year

 

[BronzeWolf]

Doomed

 

[LegendofLex]

No surprise here, since this is widely regarded as one of PS4's peak years and the UK is Sony territory.

 

[Polygonal_Sprite]

The prince is back!

 

[Ricky 7]

That's not very good.

 

[Kyoufu]

That's not very good.

For Microsoft, yeah.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

It's usually out of stock when I've looked in certain retailers.

 

[Exterminieren]

Considering how slow Nintendo has traditionally been here, that's better than I would have expected before launch. Anyone who thought Switch would challenge PS4 is a crazy person, but providing Xbox hasn't utterly crashed, it's a decent result.

That's not very good.

Context is king. Compare it to the US or Japan, it's bad. Compare it to how Nintendo has usually done in the U.K., it's perfectly respectable.

 

[oti]

That's not very good.

Microsoft will be hoping for Xbox One X sales. I'm sure Xbox will see a boost once the new hardware iteration comes out.

 

[Jezbollah]

It's usually out of stock when I've looked in certain retailers.

The image that gives is dependent on how many they stock in the first place.

 

[NSESN]

Xbox might be 3rd in every territory.

 

[Boy Wander]

No surprise here, since this is widely regarded as one of PS4's peak years and the UK is Sony territory.

I'd argue that last gen MS were at least on a par. They've really fallen away this gen.

 

[Lonely1]

For the year or launch aligned?

 

[DecoReturns]

One of its weakest markets usually.

Sounds like it's doing decently in all honestly. Nintendo is stronger in other parts of Europe. Especially France

 

[OrbitalBeard]

That doesn't surprise me at all. PS4 continues to do fantastic numbers everywhere and the UK is rarely a stronghold for Nintendo. Congrats to Nintendo for turning things around in the UK in a somewhat significant way though. Hopefully it continues.

 

[Rellik]

It's usually out of stock when I've looked in certain retailers.

Maybe at the start but not anymore.

 

[LeonSPBR]

For the year or launch aligned?

Tweet said for the year.

 

[get2sammyb]

I think the main takeaway here is that this is a terrible result for Xbox. This is supposed to be their second best territory and it's definitely Nintendo's worst, so...

That said, the Switch did launch this year, and you're always going to get some degree of frontloading which neither the PS4 or Xbox One are enjoying this year. But still, it makes you wonder what the situation is like across the rest of Europe in 2017, as it already wasn't pretty for Xbox One.

 

[Lordzap]

For the year or launch aligned?

In another tweet, he said both.

 

[NSESN]

For the year or launch aligned?

Launch aligned doesn't make sense because Switch still didn't have its first holiday.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

For Microsoft, yeah.

Microsoft shot themselves in the foot a little by announcing XBOX so early with nothing to keep up appetite for the XBOs.

I wonder how the Switch has done in all territories versus the 3DS pre-pricedrop. I think they should be very comparable.

 

[Zedark]

For the year or launch aligned?

Dring said for both.

 

[Übermatik]

UK is Sony territory anyway. Good news for the Switch, but I don't see it matching PS4 numbers any time soon, if ever.

 

[Guymelef]

Doomed

That's right... for Xbox One.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

In another tweet, he said both.

Dring said for both.

Ok, that's pretty impressive.

 

[Sidewinder]

No surprise here, since this is widely regarded as one of PS4's peak years and the UK is Sony territory.

Is that so? Thought MS was pretty close in UK, like in the US.

 

[EmiPrime]

UK is Sony territory anyway.

The 360 was more successful here than the PS3.

 

[sinonobu]

Rip xbox one

 

[LastGamer84]

Really curious to see how this gen will end up sales-wise (yes I consider the Switch part of this generation).

Before I pretty much assumed

1. PS4
2. Xbox One
3. Switch.

Now I'm wondering if, barring supply constraint, if the Switch can snag the #2 spot. Guess it depends on A) The impact of the X1X, and B) If the Switch can maintain this momentum.

 

[Shiggy]

The XB1 sales are surprising, given that the UK is the second biggest market for Microsoft after the US.

 

[DecoReturns]

Just you wait until Switch releases portable FIFA in the UK.

(actually I really want to see how a great portable FIFA does)

 

[Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule]

Switch is behind PS4 in america too, no surprise there.

 

[18-Volt]

I think it's time for Nintendo to try to cater British gamers. The mainstream British gamers are into serious and mature games, colorful and cheerful nature of Nintendo games are not exactly their thing. Maybe Nintendo should create their own sports line? They have the support of a very talented sports game dev, Next Level Games, and a great racing game dev, Monster. They should make use of their talents but they need to do that without being a direct competitor of EA. People would ignore a third yearly soccer game and a NFS wannabe. Their offerings must be different but yet attractive to English fans.

If I were them, I'd make a licensed Fifa Soccer style extreme soccer game and a licensed Burnout/Flatout style racing game. Realistic games but still have a touch of Nintendo magic.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Both makes this more astounding really. It'd be one thing to be ahead of Xbox One several years into its time on the market and after the wind has come out of its sails, but doing so even compared with the time it was meant to be the followup to the console that had dominated the last generation here? Now that's something.

(Though also telling of just how well PS4 is performing, damn)

 

[kromeo]

Is that so? Thought MS was pretty close in UK, like in the US.

It was last gen, not so much now. Xbox just does a lot better here compared to mainland Europe

 

[EmiPrime]

Is that so? Thought MS was pretty close in UK, like in the US.

It used to be much closer, PS4 and XB1 have had more or less parity in retail space. The last year hasn't been kind however, PS4 has pulled out way in front in hw and sw. One S did nothing.

 

[Kysen]

£450 X1 isn't going to help much imo.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

No surprise here, since this is widely regarded as one of PS4's peak years and the UK is Sony territory.

360 outsold PS3. UK isn't really anyone's territory it's volatile and pretty price dependant

 

[Dark Cloud]

Holy crap Xbox...

 

[pswii60]

PS4 did have a two month head start, and no stock issues.

That said, Switch is fully in stock now in the UK - even discounted today. So the week-to-week sales numbers will be more interesting at this point. Not that we get any.

The biggest issue Switch faces in the UK is the lack of retail exposure. After Wii U completely bombed to Atari Lynx levels in the UK, the Nintendo shelf space in supermarkets and other retail stores dramatically reduced, almost becoming on-existent in many stores. And Switch hasn't changed that much.

UK is Sony territory anyway.

Eh? Except the entirety of last gen when Sony was behind both Nintendo and Microsoft.

 

[Elandyll]

UK is Sony territory anyway. Good news for the Switch, but I don't see it matching PS4 numbers any time soon, if ever.

It's not.

UK is (normally) MS' 2nd best territory afaik, and is generally just a very price sensitive / FIFA sensitive territory.

In the 360 days UK was massive for MS I believe.

 

[Celine]

I think the main takeaway here is that this is a terrible result for Xbox. This is supposed to be their second best territory and it's definitely Nintendo's worst, so...

That's my take too.
Allegedly XB1 sold less than 100K in US this July which is quite low for what is their main market.
Microsoft is probably hoping Xbox One X will boost sales permanently.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Good for switch and Nintendo .
Man MS have really crash this year .
I wonder just how bad they are doing .

 

[cw_sasuke]

Ouch....thats quite bad considering U and US are like the only markets where people give a shit about the Xbox brand.

Switch/PS4 is too strong of a combo in europe it seems.

£450 X1 isn't going to help much imo.

Yeah...this isnt gonna fix their problems.

 

[Lonely1]

360 outsold PS3. UK isn't really anyone's territory it's volatile and pretty price dependant

Its consistently Nintendo weakest marker, though.

 

[Zedark]

Switch is behind PS4 in america too, no surprise there.

But not way behind, Switch is at around 90% of PS4 sales for the full year reported (January-July).

 

[MTC100]

I guess XB1 isn't much more successful in the UK than in Japan, so this statement doesn't really tell us anything.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Ten years ago, and two years after DS's launch:

DS smashes UK hardware record

It seems that the only thing pegging back Nintendo's remarkable sales achievements at the moment is its ability to get hardware on the High Street – but that hasn't stopped the DS Lite smashing the UK weekly hardware sales record that it had set only the week before.

in the week ending December 1st Nintendo's handheld sold 212,584 units – a fair chunk more than the previous weeks sales record of 191,104, according to sales data from UK stats body ChartTrack.

Until now the PS2 had been the long-standing record holder, following the 184,360 units it sold in Christmas week in 2001.

The crazy thing about that generation is DS and Wii hardware sales continued to grow year-on-year:

DS breaks UK games console sales record

Nintendo DS has become the biggest-selling games hardware in UK chart history, surpassing 10 million units sold, MCV can reveal.

The device hit the milestone in week 47 of this year according to GfK-ChartTrack data, taking it past the record held by Sony's PS2.

UK unit sales of PS2 stand at 10.02 million to date, whilst DS has already hit 10.05 million – with a bountiful Christmas period yet to finish.

DS has been on the UK market for just four years, eight months, having launched in March 2005. PlayStation 2 launched nine years ago in November 2000.

Nintendo DS has sold at a rate of over 5,700 consoles per day in the UK, where almost one in six people own one of the handhelds

I can't see Switch hardware sales growing to that sort of success. Would love to be proven wrong, of course.

 

[Yearsoflurking]

Xbox one x was announced over a year ago, not surprised at the slow down amongst gaming fwns. Switch is a new console that had a console launch this year. should be beating the ps4 at this point

 

[BanjoLayleeYookaKazooie]

I think it's time for Nintendo to try to cater British gamers. The mainstream British gamers are into serious and mature games, colorful and cheerful nature of Nintendo games are not exactly their thing. Maybe Nintendo should create their own sports line? They have the support of a very talented sports game dev, Next Level Games, and a great racing game dev, Monster. They should make use of their talents but they need to do that without being a direct competitor of EA. People would ignore a third yearly soccer game and a NFS wannabe. Their offerings must be different but yet attractive to English fans.

If I were them, I'd make a licensed Fifa Soccer style extreme soccer game and a licensed Burnout/Flatout style racing game. Realistic games but still have a touch of Nintendo magic.

Or they can just continue doing what they're doing since things are going well.

Let's not forget the GB, GBA, Wii, DS were huge in the U.K. Like in other markets and the 3DS did well bolstered mainly by Pokémon.

That the Switch is doing this well before getting FIFA, Mario (main games) or Pokemon is good.