Nintendo Doubles Switch Production; Includes 5 New Games

Kyoto-based multinational consumer electronics and video game company Nintendo has planned to double the production of its gaming console Switch, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Friday.

The Journal quoted Nintendo chief executive Tatsumi Kimishima as saying that the company would ship two million Switch units globally each month, but “one person familiar with production” told the Journal that 2.5 million is more likely.

Switch, which was launched on March 3, 2017, has been well received by reviewers and users, and early sales looked very promising. It sums up precisely why Nintendo decided to ramp up the production to make 16 million units instead of the previously decided 8 million in the next fiscal year starting next month.

Read: Nintendo Switch Sells Estimated 1.5 Million Units Worldwide In First Week

Switch has matched up to the production pace of Nintendo’s Wii, which was released in November 2006 and sold over 100 million units in its lifetime, according to official data released by the company.

Nintendo’s stock closed up 1.69 percent at 25,205 yen ($225.74) after the news broke.

To be in line with the increased production, Nintendo clearly sees the need for increasing the number of games. While it launched with a fairly paltry selection of games, the console is beginning to work on a better lineup.

Switch owners who are looking forward to play the newer games will have quite a few options to choose from following the next update.

The console had "The legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Shovel Knight," and "Snipperclips" ready on the launch day. Since its release, Switch users have seen the release of Blaster Master Zero.

When compared with older Nintendo consoles, the Switch has more options for gamers to choose from. It had a total of 20 games available in Japan during its launch. However, not all games were on sale in other regions.

Nintendo launched "The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+," with an array of new items and chapters on the base game, Thursday for $40.

The company also plans to launch several classic indie games, some of which such as the "Human Resource Machine," "Little Inferno" and "World of Goo" are already available for $10 each. Even though they are listed on Nintendo’s website, they are yet to appear on the eShop.

Nintendo said more than 60 indie games are slated for release on Switch this year. You can see all the new games and trailers here.