• UPDATE: Nintendo released its annual shareholder report on July 20th and downplayed the impact of COVID19 on Nintendo Switch production. Despite the company’s optimism, the United States continues to experience a shortage of consoles. Local retailers continue to receive limited shipments; however, online retailers are still out of stock (July 27).
• UPDATE: No change in the Europe and United States shipments; however, Nintendo of Japan is hosting routine auctions on its official site. Continue to monitor the links below for online retail stock (June 18).
• UPDATE: Local stores across Europe and the United States are receiving limited shipments; however, all online retailers continue to be out of stock (June 6).

It is no surprise that the recent pandemic has altered the landscape of physical distribution networks. From physical release delays to the uncertainty surrounding the launch of PlayStation 5 and Xbox One X, the industry is reeling. In spite of these challenges, Nintendo’s launch of Animal Crossing has been a lone bright spot. But even the industry giant is not immune to distribution problems. On Monday, Nintendo had a sad announcement involving the Switch restock date.

A Foggy Future

For a vast majority of its storied history, Nintendo has relied upon China to manufacture its hardware. Recognizing the need to diversity, the company wisely moved a portion of its manufacturing to Vietnam in February. Although this move diminished the impact of the pandemic, the company has struggled to keep up with the demand for Switch hardware. While the company promised an April resupply for video game hardware, the official Nintendo of Japan Twitter account had a sad update for fans:

[お知らせ]Nintendo Switch本体（「あつまれ どうぶつの森 本体セット」含む）ならびにNintendo Switch Lite本体は、ご予約分を除き今週の出荷はございません。来週以降の出荷予定については改めてお知らせいたします。

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) April 7, 2020

The news comes as a shock for fans who are waiting to play Animal Crossing New Horizons. With Sony and Microsoft waiting for the launch of their new consoles, Nintendo could own the 2020 hardware market. Nintendo does expect to update the Japan market next week; however, the Europe and America markets also continue to experience hardware shortages. Each hardware shortage is lost opportunity, and if Nintendo is unable to restock its markets in a timely manner, fans could move on to other alternatives.

Despite these challenges, the company did sell over 800,000 units in Japan as a result of Animal Crossing’s successful release. If Nintendo can solve its manufacturing dilemma, 2020 might just be the company’s best year ever.

New Information (April 14)

On Tuesday, April 14th, Nintendo published the following tweet:

[お知らせ]Nintendo Switch・Nintendo Switch Lite本体は今週およびその後も出荷する予定です。また、「あつまれ どうぶつの森 本体セット」は、4月下旬頃の出荷を予定しています。多くはECサイトや販売店において、オンラインで販売される予定です。くわしくは各販売店にご確認ください。

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) April 14, 2020

Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite will be shipped this week and thereafter. In addition, we plan to ship the Animal Crossing Limited Edition Set around the end of Apri. Most will be sold online at e-commerce sites and retailers. For details, please check with each retailer.

As of April 16, we were unable to locate any Nintendo Switch consoles on the Walmart, Best Buy, Target, or Amazon websites. However, we expect Nintendo to resupply these retailers over the weekend. We will continue to monitor and update this news feed.

Invasion of Reseller Bots (April 20)

The bots are altering the widespread Nintendo Switch restock date. Multiple news outlets are reporting that Internet bots are buying the entire online stock of Nintendo Switch hardware. Certain retailers, such as Best Buy, had a brief supply of the Nintendo Switch Lite editions; however, all sold out within an hour. Target, Walmart, Amazon, Gamestop, and other online retailers are also out of stock with no known date for resupply. We will continue to monitor Nintendo’s media outlets for any new information.

Resupply Forecast (April 21)

After speaking with several Nintendo executives, Business Insider published a report on Monday with an update on the Nintendo Switch restocking issue. According to the Nintendo spokesperson, Nintendo is increasing manufacturing of the Switch by 20 percent; however, the company expects the resupply issues to last until June. With China manufacturing almost 90 percent of Switch hardware, the country’s shutdown in February and part of March resulted in literally zero Switch consoles. The good news is that most Chinese manufacturing plants have resumed operations; therefore, we expect Nintendo Switch hardware to begin showing up on store shelves and online shopping carts soon.

An Uncertain Future (May 8)

In a year-end Q&A session with investors, President Shuntaro Furukawa provided more insight into Nintendo’s distribution challenges. Furukawa cited February as a difficult month for Switch production in China but then provided more nuanced details. In particular, Furukawa cited component supply as the root cause for Switch delays.

This information is curious in that most online retailers are now routinely listing availability for the Switch Lite consoles. However, the world is still experiencing a shortage of traditional Nintendo Switch hardware. Could the Joy-Con be the problem?

Towards the end of April, Nintendo of Japan announced that it was suspending the production of certain Joy-Con colors. While the yellow and red Joy-Cons were novelties assigned to the Arms and Mario franchises, Nintendo’s decision to stop making grey Joy-Cons could hold the key. The grey add-ons are normally standard for Nintendo’s hybrid console. But now that Japan is halting production, it appears as though the Kyoto company will roll with the the lighter Red and Blue variation in its standard models.

This questionable decision might be the missing link: Joy-Con production is likely the cause for Nintendo Switch delays. Because the Switch Lite does not require Joy-Cons, Nintendo is likely relying on the less-intensive Lite to carry it through the spring. But is this the right answer? Like many industries, Nintendo’s revival might be thwarted as a result of its reliance on international supply chains. For those diehard fans who cannot wait to get their hands on the latest Nintendo IP, we do recommend the Switch Lite. But if you want to truly experience the hybrid console at home and “on-the-go”, we still recommend holding out for the traditional console.

Signs of Hope (May 19)

The Nintendo Switch restock date remains a mystery for American and European consumers, the Japanese market is starting to show signs of hope. On May 19th, the Japanese shopping center Mr. Max announced that it was holding an auction for a lot of Nintendo Switch consoles and Ring Fit Adventure hardware. While the company was auctioning 410 Nintendo Switch consoles, 130 Switch Lite units, and 150 copies of Ring Fit Adventure. Although the number of available Nintendo products is dramatically low considering the pent up demand, it is a sign that Chinese production is perhaps returning to normal.

Finally, we have included the following links to all major online retailers. Enjoy!

• Amazon
• Best Buy
• GameStop
• Target
• Walmart

Archived Updates

• UPDATE: The Japanese shopping center Mr. Max announced that it is auctioning off hundreds of Nintendo Switch hardware. Also, we have included links to major online retailers for the Nintendo Switch console (May 19).
• UPDATE: Nintendo released its financial results this week, which included an update on Switch production (May 8). Scroll down for the latest news.
• UPDATE: Multiple online retailers are reporting stock of the Nintendo Switch lite. GameStop, Walmart, and Best Buy are currently all selling various colors for $199.99 (April 27th). However, the regular Nintendo Switch console remains out-of-stock.
• UPDATE: Business Insider is reporting that all versions of the Nintendo Switch will be restocked in June (April 21st)
• UPDATE: Numerous outputs are reporting stock replenishments; however, demand still exceeds supply (April 20th).
• UPDATE: Nintendo provided new information on April 14th, which we summarized below.

Conclusion

While Nintendo continues to reap the benefits of a timely Animal Crossing release, the uncertainty of the Switch restock date has likely stifled the company’s success. But we want to know what you think. Have you been able to buy a Switch? If so, where did you find it? Let us know in the comments below or the social media links on the right. Also, be sure to check out our other news items on Pokemon, Modern Warfare, Capcom, Blizzard and more.

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