Nintendo has a new hit on its hands, but it’s not all good news. The Switch 2, its follow-up to the massively successful hybrid console, has drawn so much interest in Japan that the company is already issuing apologies for its inability to meet demand.
In a message posted on X (formerly Twitter), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that the demand for the Switch 2 had “far exceeded” expectations.
Japan alone has 2.2 million pre-orders of the Switch 2
According to Furukawa, over 2.2 million people applied for a lottery just to pre-order the console through the My Nintendo Store. This, according to him, is far more than the company can actually supply by the launch date of June 5.
“We deeply apologize for failing to meet your expectations despite our preparations,” Furukawa says.
The message was direct and unusually candid, which honestly is a good thing for consumers. Rather than a vague statement, Nintendo chose to clearly communicate the delay of Switch 2 shipments. We think most consumers will likely understand this.
Those who didn’t secure a pre-order in the first lottery round will be automatically entered into a second round. But even then, Furukawa warned that there still won’t be enough consoles to go around.
The company says it will improve its production system, and it will also start taking pre-orders and lottery sales for the Switch 2 from game retailers and online stores nationwide. The console will continue to be sold through the My Nintendo Store post-launch.
So it sounds like only the lucky one selected in the first lottery sale will be able to get their hands on the Switch 2 early. Nintendo is clearly trying to manage the fallout from a demand problem of its own making. But it surely will take time.
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