Nintendo Switch Shortage Expected To End Soon

We reported back in February that sales of Animal Crossing and a prolonged Covid-19 shut down in manufacturing could exacerbate a Nintendo Switch shortage. Not even we could guess how well Animal Crossing would sell. Animal Crossing New Horizons has gone on to sell over 13 million copies during its first six weeks. This ended up dissolving the console’s stock Nintendo thought they had to get them through April before the end of March. 

As the rest of the world went into a pandemic shut down, demand for the Switch grew even more. This brought out the resellers and price gougers on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. If you have not been able to find a standard Switch console yet, things are about to turn. As of this week, we are starting to see Ring Fit Adventure come back into stock. Back in March, Ring Fit Adventure was selling for as much as $550 USD on eBay. We believe this is a sign the Switch shortage will end soon.

Bloomberg has reported manufacturing in China resumed back in late March. Once Nintendo is able to move parts to its assembly faculties in Vietnam, mass production can resume. That process has or will begin sometime in the late spring. We could see Nintendo start to fill back-orders over the next three to four weeks. Followed by large chain retail stores replenishing their shelves. There is hope that the standard Switch console will be back on shelves before the end of July. We expect the Switch shortage to end this summer. 

An end to the Switch shortage could mean even bigger things for those who already own the console. Nintendo may be reluctant to share their holiday 2020 plans until things calm down. Consumers being unable to buy a Switch may impact announcements for a rumored 3D Mario collection and a potential release date for the Breath of the Wild sequel. In addition to any other significant plans, Nintendo has for the Switch in 2020.