Nintendo’s financial briefing took place last week and during the Q&A portion of it, Nintendo of Japan’s President Shuntaro Furukawa shed some light on the Nintendo Switch stock shortages that some regions are experiencing. He highlights that Nintendo was impacted by the unfortunate Suez Canal incident that occurred in March this year where a container ship got lodged in an artificial waterway. And it’s to no surprise that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is having an effect, too. Furukawa says that the pandemic is causing delays with freight traffic which in turn is the result of some retailers outside of Japan seeing stock shortages.
Here’s what the President had to say on stock shortages:
“Regarding the current situation for Nintendo Switch hardware, there are no major differences between regions, and demand remains strong overall. However, COVID-19 has caused declines and delays in freight traffic in markets outside of Japan, and retailers in some regions are experiencing temporary shortages. In particular, the accident that blocked the Suez Canal caused delays in the transportation of products bound for Europe, and retail inventories are tight in some countries. In the United States, sales were strong in March, and the supply of hardware is currently not keeping up with the strong demand. In the ‘Others’ region, sales are also growing steadily. Regarding the software sales, there are small differences among countries and regions, but overall, sales of both new titles and evergreen titles are doing well.”
Shuntaro Furukawa
I had a feeling that was the case but it is what it is.