Nintendo Switch 2 Supply Chain 20 Million Units First Year

Nintendo is Making Preparations to Deal With Switch 2 Scalpers at Launch

Scalping has always been an issue during the launch of new gaming consoles. Just this generation, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S launches were plagued by scalpers rushing to take advantage of the consoles’ limited supply due to chip shortages during COVID, which were then resold online for triple its retail cost or more. Nintendo is bringing the hammer down on scalpers for the launch of the Switch 2 as it’s actively making preparations to deal with them.

In a recent interview with Nikkei (translated by Video Games Chronicle), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa says the company has plans to stop people from reselling the Switch 2 at launch. “We will take all possible measures based on the experience we have accumulated to date (regarding scalpers and the like). We are making preparations,” said Furukawa.

One of the ways Nintendo possibly aims to address the issue of scalping is by boosting the Switch 2’s supply and availability. When the console was officially announced last month, the company said it was preparing its supply chain to sell 20 million units in its first year – not only recognising that the console will likely be a big seller at launch but also preventing scalpers from taking advantage of any limited supply like they did with the PS5.

There’s no way to actually stop scalpers but making sure that consoles are readily available to buy at retailers for its actual retail price is a step in the right direction and significantly hinders the chances that they can pull a fast one on you by inflating prices.

Nintendo didn’t make it clear what it meant by “preparations” so we’ll see how this is handled when the console launches this year. While the Switch 2 doesn’t have a release date or price yet, Nintendo will host a new Direct event on 2 April that sheds a light on the upcoming console. We’ll likely also get a release date, or at best a window, at this showcase.

Source: Nikkei (via Video Games Chronicle)

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Editor-in-Chief of Nexus Hub, writer at GLITCHED. Former writer at The Gaming Report and All Otaku Online. RPG addict that has wonderful nightmares of Bloodborne 2.

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