Nintendo is reportedly increasing Switch production ahead of Breath of the Wild 2
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According to a new report, Nintendo has plans to ramp up production of the Switch in the coming months.
This is according to a recent report by Bloomberg (opens in new tab)After slashing expected sales for the Switch in November to 19 million units, Nintendo has told suppliers it plans to ramp up production from April. While sales of the six-year-old console are expected to begin to decline, Nintendo claims that the slump they experienced at the end of 2022 had more to do with supply issues than a lack of demand, Bloomberg reports.
Problems with the procurement of semiconductors and components have had a major impact on the electronics industry. While it shortened sales of the Switch, we also saw it impact PS5 production, with Sony finally promising greater availability for the next-gen console in 2023.
Doomsday preppers
April marks the start of a new financial year, so it would make sense for Nintendo to change its tactics at this point to pursue new goals. April is crucial for another reason as well. A month later, in May, Breath of the Wild 2 (officially known as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) will be released – and the highly anticipated sequel will be one of Nintendo’s major releases in 2023.
The Switch has always seen great sales when lining up with major game releases, whether that’s Splatoon 3 or Animal Crossing: New Horizons. So Nintendo can increase stock to prepare for a hopeful increase in sales as people get ready to try out the next installment in the Zelda series.
This sales strategy is in no way unique. Ahead of the November 2022 release of God of War Ragnarok, Sony began increasing unit production (opens in new tab) in September. Recognizing that Ragnarok was going to be the biggest title of the year, this was the best chance to encourage sales of the expensive and hard-to-get PS5. There’s nothing worse than releasing a game and fans can’t play it due to a shortage of consoles.
We’re hoping more copies of the Switch will be available, and who knows, we might even get a special edition of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Switch, as we’ve seen with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.