As another example, Nintendo has recently aimed for a March 2025 launch for its so-far secretive Switch 2. In a recent announcement, President Shuntaro Furukawa addressed fans through X, revealing that while preorders are expected, not everyone eager to secure a console will have that opportunity.
Furukawa announced that the My Nintendo preorder lottery selection process is still ongoing. Retailers in Japan report that they are preparing to start accepting preorders shortly, but the attached demand has reportedly caught Nintendo off guard. More than 2.2 million fans have already preordered the Switch 2 directly through My Nintendo, just in Japan!
“We received an extremely large number of applications, approximately 2.2 million people in Japan alone,” Furukawa stated, acknowledging the significant interest from fans. He expressed concern over the company’s ability to fulfill these requests when he noted that demand “far exceeds” Nintendo’s capacity to ship consoles at launch.
As the preorder progress continues, Furukawa said a lot of customers will be disappointed. “Unfortunately, we expect that a significant number of customers will not be selected when the winners are announced tomorrow, April 24th,” he said. The final winners of the My Nintendo preorders will be announced on that date.
In the U.S., preorders for the Switch 2 will commence at 12:01 a.m. ET on April 24. Additionally, Nintendo has been smartly reallocating inventory to the U.S. market to further reduce tariff impacts and improve availability. But even with these efforts, Furukawa conceded, at least partly, that early hype may still outpace supply.
“We deeply apologize for not being able to meet your expectations despite our prior preparations,” he remarked, reassuring fans that Nintendo is committed to maximizing production. “With the cooperation of retailers, we will continue to ship the console and make efforts to get as many Nintendo Switch 2 consoles as possible into your hands.”
Fans in the U.S. can look for news on their My Nintendo preorder status by May 8th. As for Nintendo, excitement is through the roof for the Switch 2. Even Nintendo can’t keep up with the extraordinary demand, a testament to the brand’s power and the supply chain disarray bedeviling the gaming world.