Nintendo Switch sales hit 10m worldwide

Nintendo has now sold over 10 million Switch consoles worldwide, the company says.

That means the firm has shifted almost 2.5 million machines since its last financial update, where it revealed that global sales had surpassed 7.63m units as of September 30th.

Nintendo expects to have shipped 14m Switch consoles during this financial year, bringing its shipped total to 16.7m units by the end of March. Note: Shipped is not the same as sold.

After the initial launch period, Nintendo estimated it would sell 10m Switch units within the console's first full year, and it has now beaten that with almost three months remaining - including two weeks of the Christmas sales period.

Ahead of the launch of Switch, IHS estimated that the firm will have sold 4.4m units by the end of the year, with SuperData estimating 5m units. IHS has since raised its Switch sales forecast for 2017 to 11.7m.

"As you can see in people's living rooms, on a plane or riding the subway, fans all over the world can enjoy playing Nintendo Switch wherever they go," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "The response from fans has been great, and we're doing our very best to satisfy demand during the holiday shopping season."

Nintendo of Europe President Satoru Shibata added: "We are thrilled that fans all across Europe and around the world are enjoying the gameplay experiences that only Nintendo Switch can offer, whether it be the newest adventures with Super Mario and Link, or unique games such as 1-2-Switch, where players look at each other and not the screen."

Nintendo's 2018 line-up currently features Bayonetta, Kirby, Yoshi, although expect some other big announcements during an anticipated Nintendo Direct in January.