Acquired Podcast Index

Reported figures

Nintendo Switch lifetime units sold

17 mo

143M+

across original Switch + Switch Lite + OLED; passed Wii and on track to pass PS2 (the all-time top)

[Nintendo FY2024 annual report + Acquired episode] · as of 2024-12

David:I had no idea what an incredible story it is of how Nintendo single-handedly resuscitated this industry, achieved 95% global market share, and dominated this multibillion-dollar industry that was left for dead.
[Acquired Nintendo, ch. Intro]
Episode

Mario franchise lifetime game units

17 mo

830M+

across all Mario titles since 1981 — the highest-grossing video game IP in history

[Nintendo investor disclosures + Acquired episode] · as of 2024-12

Pokémon franchise lifetime revenue

2 yr

~$100B+

joint venture (Nintendo + Game Freak + Creatures); highest-grossing media franchise in history

[Acquired episode + Pokémon Company disclosures] · as of 2024

Operating margin (FY2024)

2 yr

~32%

vs ~8% Sony Gaming, ~negative Microsoft Xbox; first-party software economics carry the model

[Nintendo FY2024 annual report] · as of 2024-03

Cash on balance sheet

2 yr

~$15B

near-zero debt; can fund another decade of console misses without disruption

[Nintendo FY2024 annual report] · as of 2024-03

Hiroshi Yamauchi tenure as president

current

53 years

1949-2002; one of the longest founder-family tenures in modern consumer history

[Acquired episode Nintendo] · as of 1949-2002

Nintendo Wii lifetime units

current

~102M

outsold both PS3 and Xbox 360; the blue-ocean strategy hit

[Nintendo historical disclosures] · as of 2006-2013

Freshness

Current (≤6 mo)

Recent (≤18 mo)

Older

Most figures here are 18 months or older — useful for the structural read but verify before quoting in real-time analysis.

Every figure here cites its source. See the sources tab for the aggregated footnote list and which citations back more than one claim.