April 2018 Switch Sales: 9.5 Out Of Top 10 Are Nintendo Franchises

The latest date from game industry sales tracker NPD Group paints a striking, though perhaps not surprising, picture of Switch game sales in April 2018. Of the Top 10 best-selling titles on Switch, nine involve Nintendo properties.

The outlier? Mario & Rabbids Kingdom Battle, published by Ubisoft. Then again, with Mario in the name and the turn-based gameplay happening inside the Mushroom Kingdom, I'm going to unofficially call it 9.5 out of 10 games.

Nintendo Switch pictured with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

It's a killer turnout for Nintendo, but one has to wonder how 3rd-party publishers are feeling this month. Here's the list:

Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01 Variety Kit
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super Mario Odyssey
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Kirby Star Allies
Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 02 Robot Kit
Splatoon 2
Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Pokken Tournament DX

Compared to March 2018, we see that one 3rd-party game--Bethesda's Skyrim--has dropped off the Top 10 alongside the outstanding Bayonetta 2 which was developed by Platinum Games but published by Nintendo.

Bear in mind that this list doesn't take into account digital sales. Nintendo isn't part of NPD's digital tracking program, although NPD analyst Mat Piscatella says they're "working on it." This also means titles released exclusively to the Switch eShop are excluded, though it's difficult to imagine any of them surpassing the games listed above.

Also note that Ubisoft's South Park: The Fractured But Whole released very late in April, so there's a chance it could crack next month's Top 10.

Switch-exclusive Bayonetta 3 is being completed funded by Nintendo. More like this, please.

Where the Wii U was a barren wasteland when it came to 3rd-party support, the Switch is enjoying increasing publisher support from the likes of Square Enix, Bethesda and Capcom among others. I don't see that slowing any time soon. On the other hand, it's telling that Switch Top 10 monthly sales lists thus far are dominated either by Nintendo-developed titles, or Nintendo IP (such as Ubisoft's brilliant Mario + Rabbids crossover).

Nintendo is aggressively courting outside publishers, and as the Switch continues to enjoy healthy hardware sales we may see that dominance shift, beginning later this month. Dark Souls Remastered (Bandai Namco) and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary (Capcom) could shake some of the older Nintendo properties off the Top 10, while Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Bethesda) and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Capcom) have a solid chance of claiming a Top 10 spot later this summer.

None of the games in the above paragraph, however, are technically "new." They're just new to the Switch and will exist on other platforms. And that's the core issue. We need more AAA Switch exclusives. Stuff like Octopath Traveler and Bayonetta 3. Until that starts happening with a regular cadence, the Switch will still be seen by mainstream consumers as a Nintendo console to play Nintendo games on.

On the bright side, there is certainly no shortage of games to play.

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