Nintendo has said the most effective strategy for beating the inevitable Switch 2 scalpers is to make enough consoles to meet demand.
When the Nintendo Switch launched back in March 2017 it suffered from a constrained supply, boosting scalpers who sold the console at inflated prices. In recent years, the manufacture of Switch was affected by a shortage of components, making it hard to find.
Speaking in an investor-focused Q&A translated by IGN, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said things will be different when it comes to launching the Switch successor.
“As a countermeasure against resale, we believe that the most important thing is to produce a sufficient number to meet customer demand, and this idea has not changed since last year,” Furukawa said.
“In addition to this, we are considering whether there are any other measures that can be taken to the extent allowed by laws and regulations, taking into account the circumstances of each region.
“Although we were unable to produce sufficient quantities of Nintendo Switch hardware last year and the year before due to a shortage of semiconductor components, this situation has now been resolved. At this time, we do not believe that the shortage of components will have a significant impact on the production of the successor model.”
In May, Nintendo said it will finally announce its Switch successor console “within this fiscal year,” so at some point before March 31, 2025. In a statement published to X/Twitter, Furukawa finally confirmed the new console, but failed to name it or mention a release window.
In February, reports indicated the Switch 2 was delayed until the early months of 2025. As reported by Bloomberg, VGC, and Eurogamer, sources claimed Nintendo had told publishers the Switch 2 was originally planned to be released at the end of 2024 but was now expected to slip to "March 2025 at the earliest."
Recent alleged details on the power of the Switch 2 weren't the first rumors to spread about Nintendo’s new console. Other allegedly leaked details have suggested that the device will feature magnetic versions of the Joy-Cons and maybe even let players use their old controllers. If these recent rumors are to be believed, you’ll also be able to enjoy your physical and digital games on the Switch 2.
For more on what may eventually become the Switch 2, you can read everything else we know about the company’s next console.
Meanwhile, during the same Q&A, Furukawa responded to a question about Nintendo security after a series of leaks ahead of Nintendo Direct showcases. These leaks were said to have come from people with access to the backends of the eShop website and Nintendo’s YouTube channel.
According to Furukawa, action has been taken to plug these leaks.
“We recognize that robustness and security of information systems are very important matters, and we are taking various measures,” Furukawa said. “We will work with specialized vendors to ensure the security of our internal systems and the services we provide, and diagnostics to verify whether there are any problems with security and various initiatives to improve security on an ongoing basis.
“As part of our internal information security structure, we introduced an information security management system in 2017 and established an Information Security Committee. This committee has established policies for information management and is taking physical and technical measures to raise awareness of information security by providing ongoing education for employees.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
