Nintendo has underestimated the stock needed to accommodate early adopters of the Nintendo Switch 2 in Japan. Basically, too many people want a Switch 2 and many will be unsuccessful at getting it during the raffle.
Nintendo’s Shuntaro Furukawa shared on Twitter (via Eurogamer) that a whopping 2.2 million people applied to purchase through the My Nintendo Store raffle. This number “far exceeds expectations” and also “far exceeds the number of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles that can be delivered” by launch.
Those who are unsuccessful will be put into the second lottery planned, but it will also lead to tons of unsuccessful applications.
This issue could, in part, be due to Nintendo’s decision to offer up a Japan-only Switch 2, as the country suffers from a weak Yen, offering up a cheaper alternative that really can’t be resold outside of the country. While its heart might be in the right place, it has to produce those locked consoles separately, meaning it could have an excess of Japan-only Switch 2 units, but it can’t top off the needed units as it’s locked to Japan.
Nintendo will, however, make sure to continue making new units and shipping them out in “considerable” numbers.
“We plan to continue producing and shipping a considerable number of Nintendo Switch 2 units in the future. We apologize for the delay in our ability to meet your expectations, and we appreciate your understanding.”
The Switch 2 officially launches on June 5.
