Data from the US market tracker Circana reveals that sales of Nintendo's flagship console, the Switch 2, rebounded last month, alleviating concerns about waning demand and subsequently boosting Nintendo's stock price. Nintendo's shares in Japan climbed 6.6%, marking their largest single-day gain since November 5th. According to Circana, the Nintendo Switch 2 was the best-selling video game platform in the US both at the end of December and for the entirety of 2025, helping to offset declines from competitors and driving a 9% increase in total industry hardware spending for the year. Despite a significant drop in spending during November, when consumers delayed purchases due to soaring console prices driven by tariffs and component costs, Switch 2 sales remained robust. Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal wrote in a report, "The latest US data completely refutes the 'weakness' narrative around the Switch 2." He noted that the console secured the top sales spot in the US even "without major promotions," indicating "strong inherent product strength." Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino upgraded his rating on the stock from "Underperform" to "Peer Perform." Nintendo's flagship Switch 2 saw its sales rebound in December, continuing its record-breaking sales momentum. Circana reported that seven months after its launch, the Switch 2's sales were 35% higher than those of Sony's PlayStation 4. The Kyoto-based company had multiple best-selling games in December. The report indicated that the overall US video game market growth stagnated, with a projected 1% increase to $60.7 billion for 2025. Software spending is shifting towards subscription models, which grew by 20%. Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass, Sony's PlayStation Plus, and Nintendo's Switch Online all offer monthly fees for extra benefits and content, while some popular games have introduced so-called "battle passes" to generate revenue through seasonal or periodic subscriptions. Epic Games' Fortnite continued to dominate user attention and playtime on console platforms. In 2025, Fortnite ranked first in active user numbers on both PlayStation and Xbox platforms, with over half of all active users having played the game at least once. Roblox maintained the highest record for digital goods retail sales in both December and for the full year, also topping the charts for sales of digital items (such as gift cards purchased in physical stores and in-game currency), with annual revenue growing by 16%.
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