For a few years now, the gaming market was neck and neck between Sony and Microsoft, with their PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, respectively, competing to be top dog in the gaming industry. Nintendo, for a while there, was an also-ran in the market, due to the dwindling failure of the Nintendo Wii U.

But things have changed – rapidly. Since its launch last year, the Nintendo Switch has become a massive success, attracting more third party developers and selling more units in one year than the Wii U did in its lifetime. And now, it’s in a firm position to overtake Microsoft and Xbox One.

A new report from GamesIndustry International indicated that Nintendo is expected to have a larger share of the console market than Microsoft when this year is said and done, due to the unstoppable momentum of the Switch.

Analysts from IHS Market have reported that over $10 billion was spent globally on Xbox hardware and games last year, compared to $8 billion for Nintendo products. Now, that’s a nearly double growth for Nintendo from the previous year, while Microsoft actually saw a decrease. So, if things keep going the way they do, we could see Nintendo reach $11 billion for this year, while Microsoft continues to drop, down to $9 billion.

The report did indicate that Sony is expected to keep its lead on the market with its PlayStation 4 products, with an estimated $20 billion in profit from last year, and only a very slight dip expected for this year. The company has some impressive games coming up for its hardware, including God of War and Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man.

The chart below gives you a pretty good idea of growth within Nintendo, as well as Sony’s dominant lead in the market. As for Microsoft, it’s holding steady for the most part, but it’s easy to see where the dip is in terms of money spent.



The console market as a whole will continue to thrive, with a four percent increase expected this year, to the tune of $42 billion. Last year, it reached $41 billion, boosting upward from the $35 billion for 2016.

And a good chunk of this will come from Nintendo, who continues to ride high on the Switch’s success. We’ll see what’s next on its plate with tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct special, and then see what everyone brings to the table in a few months’ time at E3 in June.

It is nice to see Nintendo bounce back, though. Nothing beats a comeback story.

Posted: Mar 08, 2018 2:14 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: http://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/03/07/nintendo-switch-overtake-xbox-one-in-gaming-market-ps4/