Fortnite has been downloaded by half of all Nintendo Switch owners

Epic's Fortnite Battle Royale has been downloaded by around half of all Nintendo Switch owners, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told investors yesterday.

Nintendo has now sold more than 22 million units of its hybrid console, suggesting that Fortnite has been downloaded around 10 million times by Switch owners. Epic revealed the Switch version of Fortnite at E3 in June, and a branded console bundle that included 1,000 V-bucks was announced in Septmeber.

"Many people continue to play the game, boosting the overall utilization ratio of Nintendo Switch," Furukawa said. "Nintendo Switch is unique in that people can bring their consoles with them so they can communicate while playing at a friend's house or elsewhere."

Fortnite is almost certainly the most popular game on the Switch eShop in terms of downloads, but it is just one of a rapidly expanding catalogue of games. In a presentation for Nintendo's investors, Furukawa also revealed that more than 1,300 games from 500 publishers are available through the storefront across the world.

Epic's game is also likely to be a driver of the Nintendo Switch Online service, which lists online play among its various perks. The service launched in September, which "went according to expectations" in all but one respect.

According to Furukawa, more than half of customers to have paid for a subscription opted for a 12-month subscription (either Family or Individual) rather than one of the shorter-term options. This is "more than anticipated," he said.

Indeed, revenue from digital sales have been growing ever since the launch of the Switch, reaching a record high in the first half of the current fiscal year. You can read about Nintendo's H1 fiscal results by following the link.