Nintendo (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 7974.T-JP) may have hit the jackpot with its new hybrid console, Switch, and the accompanying "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" game, with analysts and investors taking note.
The stock is up nearly 8 percent since last Friday's global launch.
Though official sales numbers will not be released until later in the year, early indications suggest both the console and the game are a hit with fans.
A reporter for the New York Times tweeted this week that, according to Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, Friday-Saturday sales for the Switch "exceeded first 2-day sales in Americas for any system in Nintendo history."
Local Japanese magazine Famitsu reported as of Mar. 5, the Switch sold an estimated 313,700 units domestically, Nomura analyst Junko Yamamura said in a Monday note.
It remains to be seen how the Switch's first week fared compared to Nintendo's best-selling Wii console, which reports said had sold 600,000 units in the first eight days.
But IDC's research director for gaming and VR/AR, Lewis Ward, told CNBC he expects the Switch will ship approximately 8 million units worldwide through the end of first quarter-2018.
"Switch is on track to ship 2 million by the end of March, so that's a solid start. I expect the Switch to sell much better in its first year than Wii U, but fewer than Wii did in the same period," said Ward.
Meanwhile, on review aggregating website Metacritic, Breath of the Wild was the fourth-best ranked game of all time (as of Friday) with a score of 98.
"Breath of the Wild is being heralded as one of the best games of the year already," Ward said. "I suspect that this Zelda launch title is a key reason why first week sales have been strong."
The Switch is Nintendo's first major home console since the Wii U failed to live up to expectations. It is a hybrid gaming system that is part console, part handheld device and part tablet, allowing for three different styles of play.
Preliminary figures have impressed analysts because the console was launched in March, instead of the usual holiday-season. There were also concerns over limited supply and a relatively steeper price, according to Jefferies equity analyst Atul Goyal.
Goyal attributed the initial sales numbers to pent-up demand from die-hard Nintendo fans, the new Zelda game and the pipeline of games to come, including "Splatoon 2," "Mario Kart Deluxe" and "Super Mario Odyssey."
"This is a nicely dispersed pipeline," he said in a note this week.