Nintendo Uncertain About The Availability Of Switch Consoles This Holiday Season

The Nintendo Switch console has been a huge success for Nintendo so far, and it might continue being successful by the end of the year. However, it looks like the gaming firm is uncertain if it can keep up with the demand this coming holiday season. It has even revealed that there’s a possibility for Switch shortages to happen.

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime recently said that “the demand is there, and our supply chain is there” to hit its goal of selling 10 million Switch consoles by the end of the fiscal year. However, he didn’t completely rule out the possibility of stock shortages this coming holiday season. “Are we going to have enough for the holiday? That’s what we are focused on,” Fils-Aime told Variety during a speaking event this week.

Nintendo confirmed last month that it was planning to ramp up its Switch production, so that it could meet the demand for the upcoming holiday shopping season, as pointed out by GameSpot. Prior to that, the company even issued an apology in June as the Nintendo Switch continued to be in short supply since it was first released on March 31.

The company promised at the time that its shipments would increase for the months of July and August as it was preparing to release “Splatoon 2” and its Switch console bundle. Nintendo also told its fans that it would continue to make sure that the Switch would be in stock moving forward. “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.

One of the issues that’s plaguing the production of the Nintendo Switch is the shortage in its components. It was first reported by The Wall Street Journal that some parts that Apple is using to build its new iPhone is also being used by Nintendo for the Switch.

With Fils-Aime seemingly uncertain on the supply of the Nintendo Switch console this holiday season, the possibility of a stock shortage seems to be pretty high. The company is also preparing the release of “Super Mario Odyssey,” which is scheduled to launch on Oct. 27. A new release from one of its biggest IPs next month would certainly affect the availability of the console in the months to come.

In addition to talking about the Switch’s availability, the Nintendo executive also told Variety that the company sees itself as an entertainment company. He briefly mentioned “Super Mario Run,” Nintendo’s mobile game for iOS and Android devices. Fils-Aime said that the game is already being used as a market intelligence tool to introduce its hardware to other markets.

Fils-Aime also opened up about the possibility of Nintendo partnering with other companies for TV shows or movies. “All of those options are potentially on the table,” he said. The executive also mentioned the 1993 film “Super Mario Bros.” and how it was a misstep for the company.

Lastly, Fils-Aime also briefly talked about Nintendo’s plans for virtual reality. He claims that it’s something that the company has been looking into for years now. However, Nintendo isn’t joining others in the VR space because there aren’t “a lot of experiences yet that are truly fun.” As for augmented reality, Fils-Aime pointed at the success at “Pokémon Go” and claimed that the potential for AR “is here and now.”