Nintendo Expects Nintendo Switch 2 To Sell Out At Launch At Retailers
Nintendo expects that its new console, Nintendo Switch 2, will sell out at retailers upon its launch later this week.
A post to the NintendoSwitch2 subreddit shared from an alleged retailer shows that Nintendo shipped “Out of Stock” Nintendo Switch 2 signs.
Demand for the console was high when it was available to pre-order. Walmart told the Associated Press at the end of April that it “sold out quickly due to high demand.”
Similarly GameStop noted on X, “We’re seeing overwhelming demand for Switch 2, which is causing some site issues. In-store pre-orders are open and running smoothly.”
In an update to customers about release-day delivery for the console, Nintendo claimed it was seeing “very high demand” and thus “delivery by June 5 is not guaranteed.”
Nintendo has high expectations for the console. In a Q&A portion of its Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2025, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that Nintendo expects to sell 15 million Nintendo Switch 2 units for the fiscal year.
He said, “We are forecasting Nintendo Switch 2 hardware sales of 15 million units for this fiscal year. We set this figure with the aim of reaching the same level of sales we achieved with Nintendo Switch in the roughly 10-month period between its launch in March 2017 and December that year.”
Furukawa went on to reveal that the company did not factor in its hardware production capacity nor U.S. tariffs or a recession into its forecast, “The limits of our hardware production capacity were not a factor in setting our sales volume forecast. Additionally, the tariff situation in the U.S. or a possibility of a recession did not affect our sales volume forecast either.”
When one individual claimed the estimates seemed to be conservative, Furukawa replied, “The Nintendo Switch 2 hardware is priced relatively high compared to Nintendo Switch, so even if there is momentum around the launch, we know it will not be easy to keep that momentum going over the long term through the holiday season and beyond.”
READ: Former 'Dragon Age' Lead Writer Claims EA Wanted New Audience, Was Not Worried About RPG Players
As far as software sales, he revealed the aim is to achieve 45 million in the fiscal year. However, he noted that number does not include the Mario Kart World games that come bundled with the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle. If he factors the bundle in, he revealed they are expecting to sell around 52 million units.
He said, “As for Nintendo Switch 2 software, we have a sales volume forecast of 45 million units, but this figure does not include Mario Kart World units that are included in the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle. When we account for software units bundled with the hardware, the forecast surpasses the roughly 52 million units of software sold for Nintendo Switch in the 10 months after its launch. In setting our software sales volume forecast, we took into consideration the fact that software publishers will have a more robust lineup than at the time of the Nintendo Switch launch, and the availability of Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles.”
Furthermore, he noted that the company has seen an increase in demand than what they were originally expecting, “This fiscal year, we will aim for the target we have set as the sales volume forecast, strengthen our production capacity to respond to recent increased demand, and focus on promoting sales in an effort to exceed our forecast. The momentum we have immediately after the Nintendo Switch 2 launch is important, of course, but the first challenge we face is how to sustain that momentum and carry it into the holiday season.”
What do you make of Nintendo expecting the Switch 2 to sell out upon launch at retailers later this week?
Nintendo are the masters of artificial scarcity. I do hope the Switch 2 won't be that successful in the long term.