It’s no secret by now that Nintendo Switch hasn’t exactly been easy to come by. After E3 I remained in Los Angeles for several days, and the vast majority of people I talked to who wanted a Switch hadn’t been able to get one. Obviously Nintendo is aware of the issue, but apologies aren’t always part of the company’s vocabulary when it comes to hardware and, in some cases, suspected manufactured scarcity. Regardless, it’s doubtful Nintendo actually intended for Switch to become this scarce, and as such the company has again commented on the matter.
[任天堂HP]「Nintendo Switch本体」品薄のお詫びとお知らせを掲載しました。https://t.co/A2yPqPkYjj
— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) June 22, 2017
In a tweet from its official Japanese Twitter account (as well as a statement on its website), Nintendo apologized “sincerely” for Switch shortages. Additionally, the statement included good news – shipment volume will be increased starting in July and August, for both the base system as well as the Splatoon 2 set. The roughly translated statement from Nintendo can be seen below.
Thank you very much for your continued patronage of our products. The “Nintendo Switch main unit,” which we released on March 3, 2017, has continued to be in short supply in the entire domestic market since its launch. We sincerely apologize to our customers and dealers for this inconvenience. Currently, we continue to ship every week, and are working to deliver more product to customers. Also, in July and August, we will increase shipment volume, including continued shipment of “Nintendo Switch Splatoon 2 set”. For autumn and beyond, we will continue to work to ensure that as many products as possible can be delivered to our customers through the end of the year as we further strengthen our production system. We appreciate your understanding.
Understandably jaded not-yet-Switch-owners may remain a bit skeptical, as the tide of scalpers consistently pursuing Nintendo hardware can be difficult to thwart even as supply increases and begins to level off with continued demand. Still, true abundance does ultimately stop scalpers in their tracks, so hopefully Nintendo comes close to delivering just that as it rounds out 2017. At the very least here’s hoping supply issues are solved by the Fall, when system sellers Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are set to arrive in rapid succession.
