Nintendo Switch supplies could soon dry up, with the console becoming as elusive to find as the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
That's according to company president Shuntaro Furukawa, who confirmed the news at a post-earnings call press conference. So if you've been on the fence about picking one up, that decision could be out of your hands in a few months.
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Over the course of the last financial year, Nintendo shipped 28.83 million Switch units. The forecast for this year is a little more conservative, sitting at 25.5 million units. The three million drop accounts for the surge in sales the hardware enjoyed thanks to the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons last year. It doesn't account for the semiconductor shortage, which looms over console production, creating “an increasing sense of uncertainty”.
Speaking to Nikkei (via VGG) Furukawa explained that, "Due to the global shortage of semiconductor materials, we are not able to produce all the products we want to. We are doing everything we can, but there is an increasing sense of uncertainty about production plans."
He added that the earnings forecast is predicated on the "assumption that [Nintendo] will be able to secure parts and materials," but if circumstances change, the company will likely "respond by revising it."
Last month, Furukawa warned of future chip supply issues providing a potential bump in the road ahead. At the time, he confirmed that Nintendo had managed to "secure the necessary materials for the immediate production of semiconductors for switches," but that demand for the console has been "strong" in Japan and other regions.
If Switch consoles continue to get snapped up, he advised that "there is a possibility of shortages at some retailers in the future." The overwhelming demand coupled with the global semiconductor shortage has left the company in the same predicament as Microsoft, Sony, and a slew of other companies in other industries who are also being affected.
In fact, Sony is rumored to be looking at a PS5 redesign that will see it find a "second resource" for semiconductors to circumvent the current supply crisis. Until the issues is resolved, you might want to pick up a Switch or Nintendo Switch Lite while you still can; our where to buy Nintendo Switch online guide should help you on that front.
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