Nintendo Switch Stock: Company Apologizes For Shortages Of New Console

Nintendo has issued an official apology about limited stock of Nintendo Switch consoles. Nintendo’s latest console has been difficult to purchase ever since it was released in March due to the incredibly high demand from consumers, and shortages in components for manufacturing.

“The Nintendo Switch main unit, which we released on March 31, 2017, has continued to be in short supply in the entire domestic market since its launch,” Nintendo Japan said on its website. “We sincerely apologize to our customers and dealers for their inconvenience.”

Nintendo then continued on to say that it has been shipping as many Switch units as it can every week to retailers. However, it has been apparent to consumers that Nintendo is struggling to keep up with demand, GameSpot reported.

Nintendo also said it expects for shipments to increase for the months of July and August when the Nintendo Switch “Splatoon 2” bundle arrives in the United States. The “Splatoon 2” Switch bundle was first released in Japan last month.

“For autumn and beyond, we will continue to work to ensure that as many products as possible can be delivered to our customers toward the end of the year,” Nintendo said.

Nintendo announced in April it had doubled production of the Switch. Unfortunately, the gaming firm’s efforts were still not enough.

Retailer GameStop said during its post-earning conference call in March that it expects the Nintendo Switch supply to be an issue for the entire year. The retailer also said demand for the console was “incredibly high.” Every time GameStop had the Switch console in stock, it sold out within hours.

The Nintendo Switch became the best-selling console for April and May, but that title reverted in June to Sony’s PlayStation 4. It’s very likely that the PS4 was able to overtake the Switch due to the Switch supply shortages.

“Expect Nintendo Switch shortages to continue through the rest of the year,” video game industry analyst Daniel Ahmad said. “Production is still capped right now due to component shortages.”

The reason there’s a component shortage is that Nintendo and Apple are both using the same hardware parts. Apple is using the parts to build its new iPhone while the very same parts are being used by Nintendo for the Switch, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Nintendo’s goal is to sell 10 million units of the Switch by the end of 2017. But with the supply shortages persisting, it’s unlikely Nintendo will be able to do it.

Nintendo has said the Switch could be as successful as the Wii, which was first released in 2006. Nintendo was able to sell more than 100 million units of the Wii during its lifecycle.

“In the video game business, it's important for consumers to feel that a sales momentum is going to grow, and we are setting a standard with Nintendo Switch to release a continuous string of major software titles from now on,” Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima said.

“And if our sales go according to our plan this fiscal year, we will be able to see Nintendo Switch gaining the momentum in which it can approach relative parity with Wii afterward.”