If you make a better app, more people will want it, right? Well, that's something Nintendo seems to have taken seriously with its revamped companion app for the newly launched Switch 2 console. And it worked!
Originally launched in 2017 as the Nintendo Switch Online app alongside Splatoon 2, the app enabled voice chat but was clunky and rarely used. Despite that, Appfigures intelligence shows it amassed 39M downloads over time, largely thanks to holiday spikes when new consoles were gifted.
But that's changing.
Nintendo announced that voice and video chat would be integrated into the Switch 2's OS, accessible via a dedicated controller button. The app itself would be overhauled and renamed simply Nintendo Switch in time for the new console's release, but with key additions including automatic screenshot uploads, friend status and play history tracking, and sidekick features for titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
The refreshed app debuted in late May and hit 15K downloads in one day, up from a daily average of just a few thousand. With the Switch 2 now out, adoption is accelerating: on June 5th, the app saw 49K downloads, a 277% increase from the day prior. Over the seven days leading up to launch, it was downloaded 123K times, up 116% from the previous week.
The spike reflects not just added features but growing hype for the Switch 2 itself, which appears to be off to a strong start. Prior hardware updates like the Switch Lite and OLED drove some increased interest, but nothing on this scale!
In fact, June 5 saw more downloads than Christmas Day in seven of the past eight years.
In Japan, the app rose to #77 overall in the App Store after being unranked the week before. In the U.S., it reached #188 overall and #20 in the Entertainment category. In Japan's Entertainment category, it climbed to #10.
Also benefiting from launch-week attention: Nintendo Music, a companion app for Switch Online subscribers that streams game soundtracks. On launch day, it saw a 148% bump, about 2.5x higher, bringing its estimated iOS total to 1.5M downloads.
Did you get a Switch 2?
I ranked the highest earning apps in the world in October and I'm happy to share, app revenue rose in October. Yes, Tik...
I crunched the numbers and rounded up the most downloaded apps in the world for October and the trend that started back ...