Nintendo realized it couldn’t win the console arms race — so it changed the game

Nintendo realized it couldn’t win the console arms race — so it changed the game


Nearly nine years after its release, the Nintendo Switch has become the company’s best-selling console of all time, with more than 155 million units sold. From the Nintendo Entertainment System rescuing a collapsed gaming market in the 1980s, to the GameCube being outsold by Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s hardware history is as much of a story of reinvention as it is success.

Nearly nine years after its release, the Nintendo Switch has become the company’s best-selling console of all time, with more than 155 million units sold. From the Nintendo Entertainment System rescuing a collapsed gaming market in the 1980s, to the GameCube being outsold by Sony‘s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s hardware history is as much of a story of reinvention as it is success.

Now, with the Switch’s runaway success serving as vindication, its successor — the Switch 2 — is on a similar trajectory, having sold more than 17 million units since launch.

But with fans still expecting Nintendo to surprise them, the company’s next device is facing the weight of its own invention.

Watch the video above to learn more about Nintendo’s game-changing console strategy.

This is the second installment in the “Built for Billions” three-part series on Nintendo. Don’t miss part one, which explores Nintendo’s business model, and part three, which looks at its biggest bet beyond games and hardware. 



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