Nintendo is ramping up production to make sure that there are enough Nintendo Switch units for sale in the upcoming holiday season, amid renewed criticisms that the company is purposely limiting the hybrid console's supply to keep demand for the device inflated.
The Nintendo Switch has been a massive success for Nintendo, placing the company back on the map in the video game industry that it once dominated. However, the hybrid console's infamous supply shortage has both held back its potential and kept the hype surrounding the Nintendo Switch at deafening levels.
Nintendo Switch Supply In The Holiday Season
In a report by The Wall Street Journal, a spokesperson for Nintendo claimed that the Nintendo Switch supply will be enough to meet the expected heightened demand for the hybrid console in the holiday season.
"We're doing everything we can to make sure everyone who wants to buy a Nintendo Switch system can do so," the spokesperson said. "We will ramp up production for the holiday period, which has been factored into our forecast."
That forecast is officially pegged at 10 million units by Nintendo, which is viewed as a very low number of the first year of sales for the Nintendo Switch. However, sources involved in the hybrid console's supply chain told The Wall Street Journal that Nintendo has requested production for 18 million units.
Nintendo has recently been able to refill stocks in retailers faster, with customers to feel further improvements moving forward.
Is The Nintendo Switch Shortage Intentional?
The report by The Wall Street Journal suggests that Nintendo is intentionally limiting Nintendo Switch production to artificially manufacture hype, an allegation that the company has heard multiple times in the past not just for the hybrid console, but also for its previous products.
Earlier in the year, Nintendo Senior Director of Corporate Communications Charlie Scibetta pushed back against such allegations of an intentional Nintendo Switch supply shortage. According to him, the company simply underestimated the demand for the Nintendo Switch, and that Nintendo wants to release as many units of the hybrid console as it could to support all the current and upcoming games.
The problem, however, is that even if Nintendo really wants to ship 18 million units for the first year of the Nintendo Switch, it likely has to fight for factory space against other companies ramping up production for the holiday season.
One of these companies was previously reported to be Apple. The Nintendo Switch supply could come up short as Apple has started to increase production of its upcoming new iPhone models, including the premium iPhone 8.
