Nintendo to ramp up Switch production

Nintendo has reportedly told suppliers to ramp up production of the Nintendo Switch as the console enters its seventh year on the market.

Nintendo is reportedly increasing production of the Nintendo Switch, which has caused many to believe that a successor console might be many years away.

The claim comes courtesy of Bloomberg, which reports that Nintendo has advised partner suppliers to increase their production of the console in the new financial year.

The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console of 2022, selling around 20 million units globally. It was so popular that it sold almost as many units as the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series combined, an impressive feat for a six-year-old console.

But despite the age of the console, Nintendo apparently aims to sell more consoles than it did last year. The company lowered its sales forecast for the console to 19 million units for the 2022-2023 financial year, which ends in March, but Bloomberg reports that it sold over 21 million units.

The Nintendo Switch has been on the market for six years. Picture: Nintendo

Analysts think that sales are likely to slow down, however, as the Switch enters its seventh year on the market. UBS Securities analyst Kenji Fukuyama said that people are likely to hold off on buying the console as speculation rises over a potential successor.

“Sales in the recent holiday season were not that strong even with improved supply,” Fukuyama told Bloomberg, “People will soon start speculating about next-generation hardware and are likely to refrain from buying the old system. A slowdown in Switch sales momentum is unavoidable”.

Nintendo’s projections might not be too unrealistic though. With big games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the way in 2023, it’s likely that the console will see a big boost in sales.

Players have been speculating about what the production increase could mean for the console, with many suggesting it could mean a successor console could be many years away. The average life cycle of a console is usually about six or seven years, and the Switch has been starting to show its age with recent multiplatform titles.

Nintendo Switch Sports failed to capture public attention like Wii Sports did. Picture: Nintendo

There is precedent for Nintendo increasing production on a console shortly before releasing a successor, however. Nintendo ramped up production of the Nintendo Wii before the announcement of the Wii U in 2011, with the company even releasing a new model, the Wii Mini, less than a year before the successor launched.

It’s been speculated that Nintendo might be increasing production to sell the console at a reduced price ahead of a potential Switch 2, to boost sales numbers during the transition to the next generation.

An insider recently said that a “Switch Pro” was cancelled after previously being in the works at Nintendo. The enhanced Switch was said to be a mid-generation refresh much like the PlayStation 4 Pro or the Xbox One X, but was ultimately scrapped.

It comes after a UK consumer rights group reported that Nintendo Switch controllers have a “design flaw”. The group said that Nintendo’s Joy-Con controllers have been poorly designed and can develop a problem called ‘drift’.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.