Nintendo Says It "Dramatically Over-Delivered" Switch Units At Launch

Since it launched back in March, the Nintendo Switch has been notoriously difficult to find, with retailers such as GameStop often selling out of their allotments soon after they arrive. Even some big-name game developers like Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami haven't been able to purchase a Switch due to its scarcity. Naturally, it's easy to think that resolving the issue would be as simple as manufacturing more consoles, but Nintendo says it has already delivered more than expected.

In an interview with Mashable, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime commented on Switch's ongoing supply issues. According to Fils-Aime, the company made 2 million consoles available at launch, despite the fact that analysts predicted demand for the system would be much lower than that. "We actually sold through almost 2.8 million units, so we dramatically over delivered," Fils-Aime said. "So what do some of the consumers on Reddit say? 'Gosh, Nintendo, if you would've made more you would've sold more.' Well, we did make more! And certainly we're on a pace to supply in the current fiscal year 10 million units."

While Nintendo has said that it is planning to "ramp up" Switch production heading into the holiday season, there could still be console shortages this year. During a Variety speaking event, Fils-Aime affirmed the possibility that Nintendo may not deliver enough systems to satisfy demand. "Are we going to have enough for the holiday? That's what we are focused on," he said.

Switch isn't the only Nintendo console that has been in short supply; the company's plug-and-play miniature console, the NES Classic Edition, was notoriously hard to come by before it was discontinued, and many are worried the same could be the case with the SNES Classic, which launches on September 29. Pre-orders for that console sold out almost immediately after going live, but Nintendo says it has "dramatically increased" production of the console and urges fans not to pay more than the $80 sticker price on auction sites. Nintendo has also announced it will extend the availability of the SNES Classic into 2018 and revive the NES Classic sometime next summer.