With the Nintendo Switch selling out everywhere, Nintendo is planning to increase console production in an effort to meet high demand amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
As Nikkei reports, this increase would see more units produced between now and the end of July. For 2020 overall, this would mean a 10% production increase over last year, which is especially surprising since the Switch is now in its fourth year.
Console demand generally tapers off, but the Switch is booming, in no small part because Animal Crossing: New Horizons is currently topping NPD sales charts. This is partly thanks to increased demand from people looking for something to do at home, but it helps that the game is really, really good. Coupled with a global increase in gaming play time - 45% in the United States alone, according to Nikkei - this led to a surge in Switch sales which quickly outstripped current supplies.
"We hope [suppliers] will be responsive to the production increase," a Nintendo representative told Nikkei, "but for procurement of some parts, the outlook remains uncertain, and we can't forecast exactly how many Switches can be supplied."
According to a report from Bloomberg, the pandemic driving high global Switch demand may also hinder Switch production. Supply and production routes in China and other parts of Asia have been frozen or slowed by stay-at-home orders. This has especially affected the availability of memory, which could throw a monkey wrench in the manufacture of more than just the Switch.
"We'll do what we can to comply with the production increase request," one component supplier told Nikkei.
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