Grabbing yourself a new Xbox Series X/S or PS5 has a difficult task since the new consoles launched in 2020 due to chip and component shortages curtailing supply, but at least folks have been able to get their hands on a Nintendo Switch without too much trouble. Well, even that may not be a sure bet anymore.
According to Japanese financial publication Nikkei, Nintendo only expects to be able to produce 20 million Switches this fiscal year (which runs from the beginning of April, to the end of March 2023). That may sound like a lot, but it is down 30 percent from the high point in fiscal year 2020, when they produced nearly 29 million Switches. Nintendo hoped to produce 30 million Switches again in FY 2021, but that had to be adjusted down to 23 million. It has not yet been revealed how many Switches were produced/sold in FY 2022. While Nintendo is hoping to make 20 million Switches this fiscal year, they may fail to hit even that number if COVID-related shutdowns in China and the war in Ukraine continue to disrupt supply chains.
Of course, there are already a lot of Switches out there, over 100 million at this point, so Nintendo has a healthy platform on its hands. That said, supply chain issues may hamper the adoption of last year’s new Switch OLED and push forward the launch of much-rumored future updates to the hardware. Per Nikkei, Nintendo’s plan is to double down on software with Switch hardware possibly in short supply. We already know a new core Pokemon game, Splatoon sequel, and more are on the way this year, and the anticipated Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel should arrive early next year. It’s fairly likely more major titles will be announced over the coming months.
So yeah, if you’re planning on picking up a Switch, make your move now, because even Nintendo’s little hybrid system might not be a guaranteed sights on shelves soon.
