Nearly three months after launch, Nintendo is still struggling to meet demand for the Switch. As a result, Financial Times is reporting that the company has ordered a production increase that should put more consoles on store shelves ahead of what is expected to be an especially busy season for Nintendo.
Although the long-term success of the Switch is still to be determined, it has become Nintendo’s fastest-selling console of all time. The company’s shares are soaring and there are indications that the Switch could achieve the same success as the Wii, which eventually went on to sell 100 million units.
In the meantime, Nintendo has not moved away from its initial hardware shipment target of 10 million Switch consoles in the twelve months ending next March. But people involved in the supply chain tell the Financial Times that the company is now aiming to ship 18 million units instead, fearing “customer tantrums” with the impending release of Super Mario Odyssey over the holiday season.
There seems to be little doubt from analysts that Nintendo could easily move as many Switch consoles as it could produce, but there may be exterior factors at play, like component availability.
Nevertheless, confidence in Nintendo is as high as it’s been in years. Between the success of the Switch and the company’s sudden willingness to capitalize on its franchises by turning them into smartphone games, Nintendo appears to be on the road to recovery. Now there just need to be enough Switch consoles on store shelves to satisfy demand, and Nintendo could end 2017 with a bang.
