Nintendo Switch ‘could face global shortages by April’

A production bottleneck caused by the coronavirus outbreak is likely to result in global Nintendo Switch shortages by April, according to a new report.

Bloomberg sources said to be familiar with Nintendo’s supply chain claim current Switch shortages in the Asia-Pacific region will expand to the US and Europe if, as anticipated, virus disruption continues over the coming weeks, limiting component production at Chinese factories.

While Switch shipments arriving in the US this month and next have already left Asia, one source said a shortage of components this month would result in a greatly reduced number of Switch consoles arriving in the US in April.

“We do not see any major impact on the shipment to the US currently, but we will remain vigilant and take steps if necessary,” a Nintendo spokesperson told Bloomberg News. “It’s possible the supply would be affected by the virus if it becomes more widespread and prolonged.”

In early February Nintendo delayed Switch hardware shipments to Japan and Korea due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The company also postponed plans to begin taking Japanese and Korean pre-orders for the recently revealed Animal Crossing Switch hardware bundle, though its March 20 release date remains unaffected.

Many Japanese retailers, including Nintendo’s online store, have already sold out of the flagship Switch console. Other products impacted by shipment delays include Switch Joy-Con controllers and the Ring-Con required to play Ring Fit Adventure.

Switch shipments have exceeded 52 million units, with sell-through (unit sales by retailers to consumers) totalling some 48 million, since the console released in March 2017.

Nintendo said in January it has no plans to launch a new Nintendo Switch model in 2020.