Soon after its official release, Nintendo Switch has been witnessing a massive demand in the global market. The hybrid console has been selling out insanely and, despite subsequent restocks, it’s still hard to grab. Only a few stores, like Toys R Us, Argos, are selling it at the moment, but seeing the current trend, it would soon change into ‘out-of-stock’ or ‘pre-order’ categories, like on other stores.
While Nintendo plans to address this demand by doubling its production from 8 to 16 million starting April 2017, popular video game retailer, GameStop, thinks differently. According to them, the supply of Nintendo Switch console won’t turn normal at least until 2018.
A GameStop executive believes that despite Nintendo’s efforts to shore production and deliver on to consumers’ demand, the stock levels won’t go up throughout the year – hinting another disappointment for Nintendo loyalists after NES Classic Edition.
GameStop COO On Nintendo Switch Shortage
During GameStop’s Q4 earnings call, Chief Operating Officer Tony Bartel spoke about the demand and supply of the console and revealed Nintendo is struggling to keep up with the ‘incredibly strong demand’.
“There’s tremendous demand for and we just don’t know how high it is because every time we get it out in our stores it’s literally gone,” Bartel said signaling that the demand for Nintendo Switch has not died down since its global launch.
He added that he anticipates GameStop will be “chasing supply this entire year,” including throughout the holiday season. This could be a really bad news for customers who’re still looking for an opportunity to grab their favorite console or were waiting for the demand to ease up after a month or two.
Among other things, Bartel also spoke about the 1:1 attach rate between Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, widely considered as the flagship game of the newly released console. He said nearly all current owners of the Switch also bought the game.
The retailer plans to replenish its stocks for the Nintendo Switch as soon as possible, saving customers for spending from emptying their wallet on eBay, where sellers are fetching nearly twice the console’s MSRP.