At this point, it’s not exactly breaking news that the Nintendo Switch is doing very well. The new console-handheld hybrid easily surpassed Nintendo’s first-month sales goal of 2 million units, topped the charts in April as well, and has propelled Nintendo stock to an all-new high. Well, it seems Nintendo may be responding to all this early success by boosting Switch production for a second time.
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Back in mid-March we got wind that Nintendo had doubled their production plans, from 8 to 16 million units for the now-current fiscal year. The latest production increase is reportedly more modest in scope, but may make some Nintendo fans’ holidays a little merrier.
According to the Financial Times, Nintendo has upped their Switch order from 16 to 18 million units for the 2018 fiscal year (which ends next March). Word is, this increase is designed to meet demand during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Specifically, Nintendo wants to avoid “customer tantrums” when they launch Super Mario Odyssey, which should arrive on or around Black Friday.
Officially, Nintendo is still only predicting 10 million Switch units this fiscal year, but the company tends to be conservative when it comes to forecasts. If they say they’ll sell 10 million Switches and end up selling 18 million, well, who’s going to be upset at them?
It will be interesting to see if the latest production boost makes finding a Nintendo Switch on Black Friday slightly less crazy. I suspect there will still be shortages, but hopefully the increase will keep GameStop and Best Buy from being burned to the ground. And hey, I have a feeling more boosts may be forthcoming!
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[via Financial Times]
