Japanese gaming giant Nintendo is looking to make a strong finish to 2020 even as the world reels from the effects of a global pandemic. And its massively popular gaming console ‘Switch’ will perhaps lead it in doing that. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the company is all set to increase production of the Switch console by 20% to meet a surge in global demand.
The worldwide lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 has seen the sales of video game consoles and titles skyrocket in a relatively short timeframe. With more and more people being forced to stay indoors, video games have been a primary form of entertainment. However, this sudden boost in sales has seen a scarcity in the availability of consoles within the public market.
The Nintendo Switch has been no different, as lockdown and the disrupted supply chain have seen the console become extremely hard to find, both at online and offline retailers. With supply falling short of the rise in demand, Nintendo has reportedly ordered its partners to boost the manufacturing of the Switch by a significantly large margin of 20%. Nintendo has been changing its production target this year, and while the official forecast is a conservative 19 million, Bloomberg has been reporting increase production targets, from 22 million, 25 million, and now 30 million throughout the year.
With over 62 million consoles sold worldwide since its launch on 3rd March 2017, the Nintendo Switch has been an extremely popular choice amongst the masses when it comes to gaming consoles for on-the-go gaming. With a huge variety of titles, from Nintendo cult classics like the Zelda and Pokemon series, to the new Mario Odessey, the Switch has something to offer to everybody. But in recent times, it has been significantly hard to find the console in retail markets, including the home market of Japan.
The scarcity of the console has seen hikes in prices too, with the Switch being sold at a price of 42,000 rupees in the Indian market, which is considerably higher than the price of the Switch in the US market at 299 USD (21956 INR) or the Japanese market, where the Switch sells for around 32367 Yen (22402 INR).
However, the boost in production might actually see a parity coming in the pricing of the Switch as well as the availability of the console in the public market.
Reports also suggest that Nintendo is preparing for the launch of a new model of the Switch, sometime in 2021, as it asks its partner developers to prepare their game titles for a 4K upgrade.
