# Nintendo scrambles to ramp up Switch production as demand surges amid Covid-19 pandemic | Tech News (HT Tech) > Nintendo aims to ramp up its production to 22 million units this fiscal year, a remarkable uptick considering the Switch is now three years old. # Nintendo scrambles to ramp up Switch production as demand surges amid Covid-19 pandemic ## Nintendo aims to ramp up its production to 22 million units this fiscal year, a remarkable uptick considering the Switch is now three years old. Aug 20 2022, 20:40 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![Nintendo Switch is in high demand, and there aren’t enough of them](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2020/04/27/Pictures/video-photo-paris-games-games-paris-trade_5219638e-8879-11ea-804e-137f71f5151d.jpg) Nintendo Switch is in high demand, and there aren’t enough of them (REUTERS) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By AUSTIN CARR I was late to the whole Animal Crossing thing, but a few days ago I, too, decamped for a virtual island utopia, where I can breathe fresh digital air, chase butterflies, plant bright tulips and fish for sea bass (so many sea bass). Thanks to best-selling (and surprisingly therapeutic) games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Nintendo Switch has become a massive hit during the pandemic. There's just one problem for Nintendo Co.: It can't make them fast enough. The inventory crunch serves as a reminder of how crucial supply chain management is in the Covid-19 era. The disease has decimated many industries, cost millions of jobs and taken thousands of lives, but the companies that sell equipment to enable people to work from or pass idle hours at home have benefited. From PCs and smartphones to tablets and wearables, the current batch of winners and losers of the hardware market will likely be decided by which companies can build enough products to meet demand from sheltered populations. Nintendo was unprepared for the sales surge and is now said to be scrambling to ramp up production and procure key electronic parts. The big question: Will the Japanese company be able to fix its supply chain woes before demand wanes? Also read click here. Back in February, as the coronavirus was spreading around the globe, Nintendo started to see early indications of supply constraints. Component shortages in China were reportedly affecting factory output in Vietnam. Switch shipments to Nintendo's home country of Japan were delayed due to supplier bottlenecks, an alarming prospect for the hits-driven business, which had potential blockbuster games like Animal Crossing and Minecraft Dungeons coming out in the spring. ALSO READ: Project Tempo could be Amazon's answer to Microsoft's Project xCloud and Google's Stadia "We do not see any major impact on the shipment to the U.S. currently, but we will remain vigilant and take steps if necessary," a Nintendo spokesperson told Bloomberg at the time. "It's possible the supply would be affected by the virus if it becomes more widespread and prolonged." Spoiler: It did. By the following month, the hardware shortages followed the virus's spread around the world. The Switch was nowhere to be found in North America at Amazon, Best Buy, Target or Walmart. Unscrupulous Switch scalpers, with the aid of bots, began hawking the console on Amazon.com Inc.'s and EBay Inc.'s reseller marketplaces at aggressive markups of 55% or far more. Some crafty gamers even started to build their own knock-off Switch systems from scratch. Still, sales climbed skyward. Last month's sales outpaced rivals', according to research firm NPD Group, and purchase volume more than doubled from last year. The device is sold out practically everywhere. Nintendo is now purportedly aiming to boost its production to 22 million units this fiscal year, a remarkable uptick considering the Switch is already three years old. That's more than Nintendo sold in the U.S., its biggest market, from the console's debut in 2017 to last year. Yet, these efforts may not sate demand anytime soon: One analyst suggested retail stock might not catch up to demand until June. While sold-out inventory is a good problem for Nintendo to have, it could fail to fully capitalize on the moment. Many people bored at home may opt instead to purchase a PlayStation from Sony Corp. or Xbox from Microsoft Corp., which said it has managed to resolve its supply chain challenges. Nintendo's Switch constraints raises questions, too, about what impact these issues are having on its online subscription service, which is substantially smaller than rival internet multiplayer portals and currently a target of hackers. And what does this mean for the company's newer and less expensive console, the handheld-only Switch Lite, which is still available in spite of so much public demand for its sister console? It's likely some of these questions will be answered next week when Nintendo reports its fiscal-year earnings on May 7. Until then, I'll be living a sun-kissed life in Animal Crossing, where, incidentally, I was just gifted a virtual Nintendo Switch. Apparently, it's far easier to get one on my digital island paradise than it is in real life. If you watch one thing Iceland will try to slow the spread of the virus by testing everyone. The latest episode of Bloomberg's Hello World takes an inside look at the country's wild plan. And here's what you need to know in global technology news Apple and Google are adding privacy and encryption enhancements to data collected through their Covid-19 contact-tracing tools. Sheltered-in-place consumers are driving record-setting streaming rates for Netflix and home-fitness company Peloton. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has threatened to bar four telecommunication companies due to "deep concerns" over "exploitation, influence and control" by the Chinese government. Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel. 27 Apr, 18:31 IST nintendo amazon japan ![HT Tech Awards](https://tech.hindustantimes.com/ht-tech-power-list-awards-2026/httech-awards-banner-new.webp) 71,589,383,813,701 NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Tips & Tricks ![Ghibli-style art](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/03/28/414x233/ChatGPT_Ghibli_style_images_1743161814450_1743161814596.jpg) ### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide ![How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/14/414x233/invites_1738728829564_1739543695649.png) ### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide ![Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2025/02/13/414x233/unnamed_1739426557335_1739426567634.jpg) ### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it ![Vodafone Idea OTT plans](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how ![Android data transfer methods](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more ## Editor’s Pick ![iPhone 16e launched with A18 chip, Apple AI—bringing flagship power on a budget: Check specs, price](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple ![DeepSeek was founded in China with only a fraction of the budget of the top AI companies in the US.](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained ![iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on ![Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini ![iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update ## Trending Stories ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside keep up with tech ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ![Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-twitter.png) ![WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-whatsApp.png) ![Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/tech-facebook.png) ## Gaming ![Check out these five gaming monitors under ₹20,000,](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider ![gaming consoles](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off ![Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges ![Shade Silver](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it ![Call of duty](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/ht-tech-bg-img-90-66.png) ### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak ![View all](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/view-all-icon.png) ## Trending News ### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order ![Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC ![Infinix Note 50s 5G+](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more ![Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report ![Apple Intelligence AI training](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside ![CMF Buds 2](https://images.livemint.com/static/static/1x1_img.gif) ## Trending Gadgets Mobiles Laptops Tablets ![HT Tech](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HT_tech-new.gif) - https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/nintendo-scrambles-to-ramp-up-switch-production-as-demand-surges-amid-covid-19-pandemic-story-BeGEaUbwCcezymAlJTKnfM.html