Twenty-three million units sold in twelve months, and Nintendo’s takeaway is a warning against complacency: the company says it is only getting started.
This summer the Switch 2 passed its first birthday, and Nintendo of America president Devon Pritchard is casting the anniversary as a starting point, not a destination. Nintendo seems to have big plans for the hardware and for The Legend of Zelda alike, with the series now marking 40 years of history.
“We are only at the beginning of the Nintendo Switch 2’s lifecycle,” Pritchard said.
Ocarina of Time is the next big swing
The comments were prompted by the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, arriving this November as a Switch 2 exclusive. (For anyone holding out for the single first-party release that makes upgrading feel non-negotiable, this is the case Nintendo is making.)
Pritchard offered more than the standard anniversary talking points. The full statement reads:
“We are at the start of the Nintendo Switch 2’s journey. And this is only the beginning. We’ve already experienced wonderful moments, both from our own titles and from third-party developers bringing their unique visions to the platform. I can’t wait to see what this system will be capable of in the future and what our talented developers will create. We are also collaborating with Sony Pictures. We have a film releasing in late April (referring to the Zelda movie). We are all incredibly excited for the movie, as well as for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.”
A movie, a remake and a 40th birthday
Look at that statement a second time and Nintendo’s roadmap is laid out plainly. The Zelda movie, produced with Sony Pictures, arrives in late April. The Ocarina of Time remake follows in November, locked to the new console. Tying it all together is the franchise’s 40th anniversary.
That is a heavy concentration of Zelda aimed at a single platform inside a narrow window, and it signals exactly where Nintendo expects to win the Switch 2’s second year.
The numbers behind the confidence
The bravado has backing. Since launching in June 2025, the Switch 2 has rapidly become the fastest-selling console in Nintendo’s history, clearing 23 million units within 2026.
So when Pritchard says she is eager to see what the system can do, she is speaking from atop a very large stack of sold hardware.
Four decades on from the original Zelda, Nintendo is wagering that the Switch 2’s strongest year is still ahead of it, and Link is leading the charge.