Like so many things right now, the supply chain for theNintendo Switchis being disrupted by the Coronavirus. This means fans are seeing less of the console in stores despite the extremely high demand caused by thestay at home ordersmany are complying with.
To make things worse, there are countless scalpers buying theNintendo Switchconsoles at market value as soon as they are restocked only to turn around and sell them online at a marked up price in an effort to make a profit. This kind of behavior hurts both the company and the consumer, as it messes with the market quite a bit.
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In response to this supply problem, Nintendo is attempting to ramp up production and meet thepublic’s demand. Reportedly, the company is aiming to produce 10% more Switch Consoles this year as compared to last year’s output in an effort to rectify the situation.
Given that 2019 saw 20 million Switch consoles produced, a 10% increase would result in approximately 2 million more hitting the market this year. Whether or not that will be enough to meet the current demand is unclear, as simply increasing output does nothing to stop the scalpers attempting to make a profit off an international crisis. Still, the effort is much appreciated, and Nintendo should definitely be doing everything it can to ride the wave of itsincredibly successfulAnimal Crossing: New Horizonslaunch and the general increase in gaming caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
It seems that to get around thesupply shortages, Nintendo is looking to other manufacturers aside from the ones that it typically contracts with. This should help avoid bottlenecks in the supply chain and ensure the company doesn’t have to ask its suppliers for unreasonable output. Still, Nintendo makes a point to say that the result of its requests for increased output are uncertain, as suppliers are only able to do so much during these hard times. This means that the 10% figure is more an estimate or a goal than a promise.
Should more Nintendo Switch consoles be produced, they will likely hit the market sometime this quarter (April through June) or at the latest, early next quarter (July through September). The sooner Nintendo can get these consoles out to the public, the better, as there are still many that want to get their hands onAnimal Crossingand othergreat Nintendo Switch games.
