After Huge Sales, Nintendo to Double Switch Production
posted Saturday Mar 18, 2017 by Scott Ertz
Console launches are usually really big for their manufacturers. For Nintendo, the launch of the Switch was far above expectations. In fact, the console sold out at many retailers before they officially opened on launch day. Initial numbers are in and it looks like they sold over 1.5 million units in the first week.
The top buyers were in the US, with about one third of all consoles sold here, with Japan buying a quarter of the consoles. Almost 90% of all consoles purchased also bought the first-party title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the most anticipated launch title for the console. That works out to about 1.34 million copies of the game, not counting sales for the Wii U.
Clearly these numbers are a positive sign for the recently struggling Nintendo, right? Only if the company can capitalize on the initial excitement of the console. Currently there is a major shortage of consoles. If you didn't already get one, you might have to buy one from a scalper on eBay or Amazon. GameStop is expected to have some in stock this week, but that likely won't solve the stock issue.
Nintendo has a plan for that, however. According to The Wall Street Journal, Nintendo is about to double the planned production of Switch consoles beginning next month. The double means production of a total of 16 million units from April of 2017 through March of 2018. While this change might come as a surprise to some analysts, it is a welcomed change for gamers looking to get their hands on the console.
