What Works Well on Nintendo Switch — Simon Carless's Review
Simon Carless analyzed the sales charts of eShop games in the U.S. and the U.K., which he compiled using his own analytical service, GameDiscoverCo.
Little Kitty, Big City
Important note: He did not share specific game sales figures included in the charts. Instead, he noted the following:
- Premium games that entered the top charts throughout 2024 generally sold several hundred thousand copies;
- Third-party (i.e., non-Nintendo) games included in the charts sold at least 100,000 copies;
- The maximum sales of top chart titles reached up to a million copies.
Carless compiled three sales charts of premium games in the Nintendo eShop for the current year (note: free copies of paid games were also considered). Let's discuss each chart separately.
1) Top 20 Best-Selling Games in eShop (regardless of release year)
- Half of the games in the top chart are releases by Nintendo itself.
- The fact that Nintendo games do not occupy the entire top chart is explained by many Switch players preferring to purchase the company's games (as well as major releases) on cartridges.
- Otherwise, the top two spots would unlikely be held by Minecraft and Stardew Valley.
2) Top 20 Best-Selling Games in eShop (released in 2024)
- Six out of seven top games are Nintendo releases.
- The only non-Nintendo game that managed to secure the third spot in sales is Little Kitty, Big City, a humorous counterpart to Stray.
3) Top 20 Best-Selling Games in eShop (released in 2024 and excluding Nintendo games)
- The most representative chart for analysis, as it allows evaluating the situation for developers interested in working with the platform.
What conclusions did Carless draw from this chart?
- Indie titles that gained popularity on other platforms are actively purchased by gamers on Nintendo as well (Little Kitty, Big City, Balatro, Another Crab’s Treasure).
- Game compilations (often several parts of a game bundled together) are very well-received on Nintendo Switch (Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Castlevania Dominus Collection, and Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection).
- Attractive 2D projects are still popular among Nintendo Switch users (Animal Well, Pizza Tower, and Thank Goodness You’re Here!).
- An exclusive release on Nintendo Switch can boost the game's sales in the Nintendo eShop, as was the case with Unicorn Overlord. However, Carless advises against taking this risk.
