Nintendo’s Switch console has had an enormous amount of sales since its release. So much so, that the company declared it as the fastest-selling gaming system ever. However, even though huge sales are usually great for the parent company, Nintendo has been struggling to match up supplies to the immense demand.
Most stores which retail the Switch consoles are running out of the system, and the demand for it is still climbing. Customers have been complaining about the limited supply, which has led to potential buyers being disappointed. In light of this, Nintendo has announced that it will now increase the Production rate for the console in order to match up to the expected rise of demand during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Switch selling out even as demands rise
Nintendo intended to fill the gap between handheld gaming and TV connected gaming using consoles such as the Xbox and PlayStation. In its bid to do so, the Switch was launched, which can be used as handheld system and can even be docked to the TV. Gamers around the world seem to have loved this idea as the company says it is unable to meet the huge demand for the $300 console.
Due to this colossal sales figure, Nintendo’s share prices reached an all time high, raising the company’s stock market value to nearly $45 billion. The Switch sales have drawn comparison to Wii sales, which reportedly sold over 100 million units worldwide. Sources close to the company said that due to the Switch’s popularity, Nintendo was now looking to produce 18 million units by the end of fiscal year 2017.
The upcoming release of “Mario Odyssey” is expected to further increase demand and the company would likely want to maximize production, in order to satisfy potential customers. However, the company admits that it has plans of producing around 10 million Switch consoles by the end of March 2018.
Roadblocks for increasing production
While, the company would like to capitalize on the demand for its console, that prospect may be hampered by the shortage of liquid crystal display or LCD screens. These are absolutely necessary components for producing the console and its unavailability may be one of the reasons why the production has been so slow.
Other sources have pointed out that the Japanese company is just not capable of predicting the demand for its product. The Kyoto-based company is known to have seriously underestimated demands for previous products as well and some feel that it has done the same this time around as well. For now, it seems Nintendo is finally ramping up production. However, it remains to be seen if it can match the global demands.
