Nintendo says Switch 2 stock won’t meet launch demand in Japan

While preorders for the Switch 2 have been fairly straightforward here in Australia, aside from our own My Nintendo Store having some rules, other parts of the world haven’t had it so easy. We know all about America’s troubles, and now it’s time for Japan to feel some pain.

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has issued a statement on social media announcing that Nintendo simply won’t have enough Switch 2 consoles in Japan for everyone. Over 2.2 million people have enrolled in the lottery on the My Nintendo Store, far exceeding Nintendo’s own expectations, and has warned them that “unfortunately, we expect that a significant number of customers will not be selected when the winners are announced tomorrow, April 24th”.

Those who are unsuccessful will be automatically enrolled in the second lottery; however, even then, they won’t have enough consoles for everyone there either. Of course, the My Nintendo Store isn’t the only place to buy a console, and retailers’ own preorder and lottery systems will kick off tomorrow too.

To compare, the Nintendo Switch sold 329,000 units in its first week on sale in Japan. The Wii U sold just 3.34 million over its entire life. These are big numbers for the Switch 2—hopefully, they won’t be waiting too long for restocks.

The Australian My Nintendo Store preorders also kick off tomorrow. You can still register your interest now if you want to buy it directly from Nintendo. They’re promising release-day delivery in most cases as well. The My Nintendo Store is also the only place to preorder items like the Nintendo GameCube controller for Switch 2, and the additional Dock Sets. You can, of course, still find one at other retailers, and we’ve got Switch 2 preorder guide for that too.