The Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly cutting back on manufacturing consoles following weaker-than-expected holiday sales for the Switch 2.
A new report out of Bloomberg says the Nintendo Switch 2 will be cutting back on console production after the holiday season produced weaker results than expected. Nintendo now expects to make four million Switch 2 units this quarter, down a massive 33% on the six million it previously planned to bring to market. The production reduction comes at a time when the latest video games sales data says the Nintendo Switch 2 is outselling the original in the United States, and it’s trending 45% ahead of its predecessor.
In February’s financial earnings report (translated with Google), Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged “overseas sales were slightly weaker than our expectations.” He continued with “While our forecasted global hardware and software sales volume remains unchanged, the breakdown by region and product is based on different assumptions from the revised forecast announced at the time of our second-quarter financial results announcement,” adding, “domestic hardware sales volume exceeded our expectations, while overseas sales were slightly weaker than our expectations.” This is reportedly what led to reduced Nintendo Switch 2 output.
It’s also possible that Nintendo Switch 2 production is being reduced to make way for a new variant of the console. Japanese outlet Nikkei, reports Nintendo is moving to launch a revised model of the Nintendo Switch 2 console in Europe. The new model would align with European Battery Regulations inroduced to the European Union (EU) in 2024. The EU requires companies to produce products in line with their ‘right to repair’ policy, which requires that by 2027, consumer products that use portable lithium-ion batteries must be replaceable by the user.
With all of that being said and Nintendo’s sales forecast not being met, the Switch 2 remains Nintendo’s fastest-selling console at launch, even over the original Nintendo Switch. With strong console exclusives like Pokémon Pokopia, and upcoming titles releasing soon like Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, the Nintendo Switch 2 seems to be doing okay.
