Nintendo is keen to avoid shortages for the launch of the console that will succeed the Switch. The production volume of the Switch 2 is likely to be high enough to avoid speculation.
Every time a popular new console is released, it’s the same story: stocks are too low to meet demand, and speculators are happy to sell the new product at high prices on secondary markets. The Nintendo Switch was no exception, both when it was released in March 2017 and during periods of shortages linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Another example? The PS5, which experienced a very long period of unavailability.
This is clearly a problem that Nintendo is keen to avoid at all costs, according to this IGN article published on July 1, 2024. During an investor Q&A session, President Shuntaro Furukawa announced that the situation will be different for the Switch 2. The console that will succeed the Switch was confirmed a few weeks ago, although we still don’t know what it will look like (it may not be called the Switch 2, for that matter). It will be presented before March 31, 2025, and is expected to arrive next year.
Nintendo’s plan to avoid enriching speculators when the Switch 2 is released
« As for the measure to avoid resale, we believe that the most important thing is to produce a sufficient number of consoles to meet demand, and this idea has not changed since last year. “, confides Shuntaro Furukawa. This seems quite obvious when you read these words. However, this still assumes having assembled enough Switch 2 to market them in the best conditions. Which may mean assuming a delay, the time for the factories to reach the desired volume.
Nintendo is also considering other, legal, ways to combat scalping, a practice that involves taking advantage of an item’s rarity to sell it much more expensively to the most impatient. It’s a method of market manipulation, since scalpers don’t hesitate to empty stocks normally intended for people who simply want to buy their console (and who could therefore pay more by turning to a scalper).
Shuntaro Furukawa believes that the shortage of components is behind Nintendo. He explains on this subject: ” Although we were unable to produce enough Switches last year and the year before, due to the shortage of semiconductors, this situation has now been resolved. Today, we believe that it will have no impact on the production of the future model. “In short, Nintendo should produce a lot of Switch 2 to meet a demand that should be massive. We recall that the Switch has sold more than 140 million copies.
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