CD Projekt Red’sCyberpunk 2077has proven to be the most successful third-party launch title for the Switch 2, becoming a standout in a launch window dominated by Nintendo’s own games. It’s the second CDPR game to arrive on a Nintendo platform, and it seems to be well on its way to becoming the most successful.
In sales data outlined byThe Game Business,Cyberpunk 2077is the best-selling third-party game to have launched alongside the Switch 2, and has already beaten the launch week sales ofThe Witcher 3’s original Switch version. While the statistics don’t give a complete picture of all markets, an astounding 86% of physical games sold for the Switch 2 in the United Kingdom during the console’s launch week were first-party exclusives. In the United States, the numbers are fairly similar: even excluding theMario Kart Worldbundle, 62% of physical games sold during the Switch 2’s launch week were first-party titles.Cyberpunk 2077appears to be an outlier as a fairly successful third-party launch title.
Cyberpunk 2077 Is The Best-Selling Third-Party Game On The Switch 2
Third-Party Publishers Have Struggled
Cyberpunk 2077outperformingThe Witcher 3’s Switch launch in a similar timeframe likely makes it one of the only successful third-party launches for the Switch 2. According toThe Game Business,one unspecified third-party publisher said its Switch 2 sales were “below our lowest estimates.“Recent, popular games likeco-op adventureSplit Fictionand4X classicCivilization 7apparently did not meet expectations on Nintendo’s new platform.
A commonality between many of the third-party games on the Switch 2 is the fact that they are all ports or dedicated new versions of existing games. This applies toCyberpunk 2077as well, but it was previously not available to Nintendo users. It’s possible that many Switch 2 players own many of these games on other platforms, but it’s also indicative of how strong Nintendo’s exclusives are.Mario Kart Worlddominated sales during the Switch 2’s launch week, proving yet again thatNintendo’s own games are bona fide system sellers.
Nintendo Fans Finally Get To Play One Of The Decade’s Best Titles
An RPG For The Ages
With the data focusing on physical sales, it’s important to note thatCyberpunk 2077is fully on the Switch 2 cartridge, and is not a Game Key Card like many other third-party titles. This may have some influence on those who prefer physical games, butCyberpunk’s own merits should be taken into account as well.Cyberpunk 2077has been tremendously popular across all platforms, and is a standout RPG of the last five years, even if its initial launch was marred by horrendous technical issues.
Nintendo users are finally getting a chance to play one of the most popular games of the decade, and the Switch 2 version doesn’t compromise the experience while also taking advantage of the system’s hardware specifically, like mouse controls.Cyberpunk 2077may have the biggest slice of a small fraction of Switch 2 game sales, but outperformingThe Witcher 3’s Switch launch is a good sign that it’ll have legs on Nintendo’s new platform.
Source:The Game Business
Cyberpunk 2077
Based on the 1988 tabletop game, Cyberpunk 2077 is a first-person action RPG game set in a dystopian cyber future developed by CD Projekt Red. Players will tackle the streets of Night City as customizable protagonist V, who struggles to keep their memories intact after receiving a strange cybernetic implant that slowly overrides their memories by a deceased celebrity known as Johnny Silverhand, played by Keanu Reeves.
