Nintendo announced that it has ceased Switch shipments in Japan as it is “unable to keep up with rising demand” during the pandemic of COVID-19. As global cases meat 1.5 million total infections with more than 80,000 dead, at a minimum, the supply chains of the world for many basic products are grinding to a halt. The COVID-19 pandemic has spread all over the globe, prompting work stoppages and worker strikes over the conditions surrounding the deadly disease.
Nintendo slowed down production for the Switch console earlier in the year and has hit a major problem with stocks of the console. To help cope, Nintendo has ordered that any orders made over the next several weeks within Japan will not be shipped. Nintendo has said that its own supply chain is “unable to keep up with rising demand.” Nintendo has already shuttered repair centers to contain the spread, so this change was probably inevitable in some areas.
These problems have also impacted the Lite version and Animal Crossing version of the console. The Switch consoles are basically sold out no matter where you go. To help catch up on needed production, Nintendo has begun stopping shipments in Japan and nearby markets. It’s important to note that this change does not impact Europe and the U.S. at all and that shipments to buyers there will continue to be honored as stock becomes available.
Nintendo has said that factories in China and Vietnam have, fortunately, “recovered to a certain point,” and will continue to produce parts for the console and assemble the units themselves.
Japan has begun to see the major impact of COVID-19 in-country as well, meaning that the country will need to rely on foreign production and shipping even more than before. The Japanese government has worked with local officials to try and contain the spread of the virus. Currently, prefectures of Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka, and the city of Tokyo are in a state of emergency. The country’s government has also passed a $2.5 billion reserve fund for the fiscal year to “contain the virus and minimize its impact on the economy.”
Source: VGC
