If you tried to get a Nintendo Switch during the first few months of the hybrid console’s life, you probably experienced just how hard the hot commodity was to come by. Coming out the gate with something akin to a soft launch, the Switch’s supply was nowhere near its incredible demand. The supply situation has somewhat improved of late, and it’s about to get even better.
According to a report by Digitimes, Nintendo has increased Switch production to two million units per month. This move likely comes in anticipation of increased demand during the upcoming holiday season. In addition, Digitimes reports that Nintendo will begin shipping the console to the China market in early 2018.
With a relatively meager game library at launch, the Switch has steadily broadened its reach of titles and genres. A Nintendo Direct in September showed off a host of new games coming to the system in either winter 2017 or early 2018, including the pièce de résistance, Super Mario Odyssey.The Switch is also loading up on popular AAA titles in the near future. With the Switch gaining such steam heading into the holidays, the increase in production seems to come at a perfect time.
So if Nintendo is shipping two million units a month now, what was the rate before? The gaming giant has not released figures on that front, but we do know that the original plan was to ship 10 million by the end of the 2017 fiscal year. This comes out to just under a million copies a month. Digitimes reports that Nintendo’s new target is 20 million in that span, which this production increase could feasibly achieve.
Regardless, if you were hoping to nab a Switch this holiday as a gift to a loved or yourself, you hopefully will have a little less to worry about.
