Nintendo Switch Pre-Orders Being Cancelled
By Jasmine Henry 07 February 2017
Nintendo Switch pre-orders are being cancelled by GameStop and Target due to stock shortages, suggesting an unprecedented demand for the upcoming console.
[UPDATE] – GameStop has issued a statement denying reports that it has cancelled Nintendo Switch pre-orders:
“GameStop has not, and is not, cancelling any Nintendo Switch pre-orders due to allocation issues. We are working very closely to confirm and validate any and all pre-orders of this innovative gaming system. Should any customer who pre-ordered a Nintendo Switch console from GameStop experience any issue with their order, we encourage them to contact our Guest Care team so we can help resolve the issue.”
Target has yet to comment on the story.
After the console’s release date, price, and launch line-up was confirmed, Nintendo Switch pre-orders went live last month. Gamers around the world were able to put their names down for the upcoming system, seemingly ensuring that a Switch would be ready and waiting for them to pick it up come March 3. That was the idea, at least. Unfortunately for some people who have pre-ordered the Nintendo Switch in the United States, they may not be able to get their hands on the console at launch despite having pre-ordered the console.
According to Nintendo Today and My Nintendo News, some fans in the United States are now having their Nintendo Switch pre-orders cancelled by GameStop and Target. The publications report that the retailers have been forced to cancel pre-orders because of smaller than anticipated stock, and that Target has begun to send out emails informing customers of their pre-order cancellation.
This is not the first time retailers have run out of systems to sell. GameStop had to halt Switch pre-orders last month, just days after Switch pre-orders opened – suggesting that there was an unprecedented demand for the console. Meanwhile, in Japan, retailers had sold 80% of their Nintendo Switch stock by the end of January.
It should be noted that Nintendo has ramped up Switch console production, upping its initial plan to ship 2 million Nintendo Switch units at launch to an undisclosed figure. This will hopefully ensure that fans aren’t left too disappointed by overwhelming stock shortages, as has been the case with the constantly sold out NES Classic.
But on the positive side, it does suggest that people are hugely excited for the console. There has been a growing debate over whether the Nintendo Switch can outsell the Nintendo Wii U, while Nintendo’s stocks have dropped shortly after the price and release were announced. Questions are also swirling regarding whether the Nintendo Switch, which features a portable tablet component, will win over gamers.
Although it’s true that there are still big concerns about the console (including its ‘weak’ launch line-up) and there are also huge questions that Nintendo has yet to answer (including how its Virtual Console and online service work) but clearly most gamers aren’t phased by this. In fact, they are so unfazed by this that they are flocking to stores in droves. Whether that can be sustained post-launch or not is another thing entirely but for now, things seem quite positive.
The Nintendo Switch goes on sale on March 3.
