A portion of a Mainichi Newspaper interview with Nintendo, as translated by NintendoSoup...
Mainichi: It’s been half a year since the Nintendo Switch launched, why (are the shortages are still ongoing)?
Nintendo: We have never expected the Nintendo Switch to sell this much. You have to understand Nintendo doesn’t own the factory (making Nintendo Switch), as production is handled by another company in China. It’s easy to increase the production capacity of the factory. The finished product needs to be delivered from the harbor to the rest of the world, and rushing shipping is an extremely difficult thing to do.
We must also increase orders for parts that are made by many other different companies, and these are the same companies that also supply components for Apple’s upcoming iPhone, data centers, and many other products. Because of this it’s difficult for these companies to guarantee timely delivery of our orders, hence production falls behind schedule.
Mainichi: How long will the shortages last?
Nintendo: We’re currently aiming to sell 10 million units worldwide this year, but it’s said in reality there are 20 million people who actually want to buy one. We also expect the Switch to be popular with people who aren’t familiar with gaming. We’re unable to predict when the shortages will actually end, so it will be hard for consumers to purchase a Nintendo Switch in the foreseeable future.
from GoNintendo
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