Coronavirus Could Cause Nintendo Switch Supply Shortage

If you've yet to buy a Nintendo Switch, don't wait much longer. Nintendo will likely struggle to keep the system in supply this year as it struggles with component issues caused by the coronavirus.

According to Bloomberg, Nintendo's issues are primarily in Vietnam, where it has an assembly partner that requires components via China. Should the component shortage not be resolved soon, the console would run into supply issues by April. This could be just after the launch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The Bloomberg report said that component issues could continue for a few more weeks before Chinese factories are expected to resume full operation. Thus far, more than 1,700 people have died from the virus, primarily within mainland China.

Nintendo has previously run into supply shortages with the Switch, but these seemed to be due to high demand rather than an internal issue. Just one week ago, the company said it didn't expect the virus to have a significant impact on Switch sales in North America or Europe.

Due to the high number of components created and devices assembled in mainland China, the coronavirus has the potential to cause much larger disruptions. Earlier this month, publisher Private Division delayed The Outer Worlds' Switch port due to disruptions at developer Virtuos, which has offices in China.