Nintendo has today held its 85th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, during which president Shuntaro Furukawa apologised for not being able to meet initial demand for the Switch 2.
As highlighted by @NStyles on X, a shareholder asked whether there was a specific reason for the shortage of consoles and whether Nintendo had failed to predict the overwhelming response from consumers at launch.
Furukawa was understandably coy regarding specifics, but apologised for not being able to meet demand, acknowledging that even a few shareholders have not been able to get their hands on the Switch 2 yet.
“Currently, in many countries, the demand for Switch2 exceeds the supply, and we are unable to meet it. We understand that some shareholders have also been unable to obtain it. We started accepting lottery sales at My Nintendo Store in April. The response far exceeded our expectations, and I announced in my name on X that there were 2.2 million applicants, along with an apology.
“Since then, we have conducted four lottery sales, but some people were not selected. We have announced that the fifth lottery will take place starting in July. Many general retailers have also conducted lottery sales. The number of stores offering in-store sales is gradually increasing.
“As a company, we are working to improve our production system to deliver as many units as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this initial demand, which greatly exceeded our expectations.”
When discussing the lottery system in more detail during a later question, Furukawa stated that the company had received both positive and negative feedback, and aims to improve the system further for future product launches.
Furukawa also states the importance of including the Nintendo Account as a qualifying factor in applying for the lottery, noting that relationships with customers often ended in the past when moving onto a new hardware generation. He believes the Nintendo Account is crucial in maintaining “long and positive” relationships with customers.
