Nintendo is one of the biggest gaming companies in the world and its video games in both physical and digital formats have grown impressively over the years. However, the revenue numbers coming from these video game copies have been shifting since 2017 to date, due to the rise of digital content. Over the last few years, especially in the lockdown period, the transition to digital content became inevitable in the industry. As a result, players are letting go of the physical format, but it has been said that Nintendo will be the last one standing on that side of the spectrum.
According to a graphic shared by Twitter user Derek Strickland, who is an editor at TweakTown, the revenue behavior coming from physical and digital sales on Nintendo has had significant changes. First, during the beginning times of the Nintendo Switch, the market was much more attracted to the physical format in 2017 and 2018. During these years digital video games were on the rise, but their increase was not as fast as one might think.
Things changed once the pandemic hit and lockdown became mandatory, Nintendo Switch users massively turned to the digital format, which took over the market in 2020 and 2021, but still, the revenue proportion was 50% for both physical and digital stores. Similarly, the percentages regarding both types of sales have remained stable but there is no longer a predominance for physical (Nintendo cartridges) as there was in the past.
What’s your opinion, do you think Nintendo will be able to keep their cartridges sales going or will they eventually fall off?