GameStop Director on Demand and Timing for the Switch

First. This is all pretty good planning and all but I had to wait until my paycheck to reserve a system and was too late. I hope they at least have a steady supply of them post launch becaus as much as I want one I'm not gonna line up at midnight.

I don't think there will be enough stock.

I'm going to a midnight launch in hopes of getting one because pre-orders are essentially impossible to get at this point.

A lot of my friends say that they couldn't pre-order the Switch due to stock selling out everywhere. Even when some places get new stock, it very quickly sells out. So, no, I wouldn't say there would be enough stock at launch, quite the contrary in fact. Although given how the Wii U massively flopped, I can't say I blame Nintendo for wanting to play it safe.

As long as demand is met by Christmas 2017. I've got preorder tucked away, but if stock shortages of NES Classic Mini are a preview of things to come, I'll be very worried.

Releasing q1 didn't help me get one
Preorders in my city were completely gone same day.

..never hurts to play the shortage game ..this must be like a second Christmas for them...
..HURRY, There's 3 left!

We already knew before this that the launch stock will be limited. Question is, how deep is the unmet pool of demand? A good way to measure will be how steep the ebay resells get over the retail price and how long that keeps going. I would expect a 2nd wave of strong demand for when MarioKart launches in April, especially if the system is viewed positively. Those who didn't buy a Wii U may jump at the opportunity to play MK on a new and (hopefully) better system.

I just hope the pre and post launch reviews of the hard and software is good, so that those who didn't pre order one don't change their mind before buying one. Given the social interaction Nintendo expects from the Switch between players, word of mouth could also drive sales much further, the way the Wii's word of mouth did.

I dont think the supply is THAT bad (still not good) but Last week I was able to switch (ha) from my £999 GAME grey order to a Amazon Neon one for launch day.

My local GAME claims that they'll have more Switches launch week that might even arrive on launch day and the site 'appears' to have bundles left.

@OdnetninAges Same here. I'm hoping to check out local stores this weekend to see where I'll have the best chance of getting one come launch night.

Ebgames ( im Australian) just called me last night to check if i wanted shipment 1 of the switch or if i could wait for shipment 2 on my preorder. Seems they have over subscribed pre orders. I think its good news, because this means that it sold out here too.

Of course i insisted on day 1.

@SH007ME Lol, what is that? They run through that gate like bats out of hell!

@Lylard where did you have to pay up front to reserve one? Sorry to hear you missed the first round, hope its not long before new stock arrives.

From what I've seen (also in Australia) EB Games seems to have sold out their stock completely of the neon Switch, but still have some grey versions left. It seems odd to me, the neon version just doesn't sit quite right (why couldn't it be the same colour on both sides!).

I ordered the neon version as well as Zelda and a pro controller last night from very, i wasn't going to get one until Mario Odyssey came out but i have no will power at all lol

Won't be able to feasibly afford it at launch but my credit card whispers sweet nothings to me so if there is any in and stock and I am free I will lineup as Walmart Canada had no preorders and bestbuy was out the first day.

@Danpal65
My EB said they would have more stock come in around April.
I've ordered a grey one and will get matching blue (or limited edition) joycons later for the same reason, it just looks messy.

My hype levels have gone up into overdrive!
Next week will be hyperdrive!

@MitchVogel ...Gamestops everywhere on 3/2/17 @ 23:59+..lol..
..hey, btw, when are you switching to @SwitchVogel ?

@KiWiiU_Freek
Yeah that seems to be the situation. The one thing about Australia at least (looking past the ridiculous mark-ups) is that you can get pre-orders on these sorts of things pretty reliably.

I think he has a point, although attributing the Q1 launch to good business sense sounds fanciful.

Seems like there's going to be plenty available in the UK, we're always a bit slow to catch on to a new trend unless the Sun or the Mail tell us they like it!

@Danpal65
Definitely.
I've had my pre order since October!
Been a long haul.

@abe_hikura That's just shifting around the few unsold 1st shipment stock or GAME holding back some stock for launch week so it could not be pre-ordered.

The 2nd shipment is April.

@Danpal65 Only grey. Neon has been sold out in Australia for a long time now.

"The Q1 launch is one of the smartest moves Nintendo could have done. Instead of pushing units out during the heaviest time of the year (in Q4), this allows them to build a base. So by holiday, we can focus on games."

Gamestop are idiots if they believe this.
The reason Nintendo is doing this is to have the March Switch sales make their annual financial report (for the year ending 31st March) look better.

Nintendo could have chosen April or May or whenever that is not in the holiday season but they did not. They wanted the Switch sales count towards this Nintendo financial year.

@Lylard A good advice is try to go to a store at a mall, people do not camp on those since they are not allowed to but keep in mind to go as early as possible to get one, you never know how many extras they will have nor how many people will go to the store early.

If anyone is interested this has hit it's Kickstarter goal

Here's the link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1576389298/nintendo-switch-dog-tongue-stickers-for-joy-con?ref=c0otzh

What has the world come to.

@the8thark I imagine that is a big reason for pushing it out in March, but Nintendo would be stupid to not do a full risk analysis and consider the benefits of releasing in other months. They wouldn't make a decision solely based on when the financial year is ending. Nintendo has a lot of money in its coffers so it is not that impacted by quarterly fluctuations in stock prices.

There won't be stick shortages in the UK! I still haven't spoken with one person that's interested in the system 😩

@Switch81tch and yet Swich is out in that same "dead Q1" so not quite what you are thinking, champ.

I pre ordered Mail delivery only from Gamestop however Gamestop gives no Guarantee of delivery Date or that it would even be shipped on the 3rd. I hope its not a month or 2 wait to get it.

Doesn't seem to be too much of a shortage... most of the major retailers in the UK have at least one of the colours available for pre-order still.

@Reginald "I can't say I blame Nintendo for wanting to play it safe."

Nintendo has 2 million units ready for the month of march, which is as much stock as Sony had ready at the launch of Playstation 4 and Microsoft at launch of Xbox One. I don't think they are playing it save, the demand is just high. So they are already ranking up their production.

“They’ve taken a lot of franchises like Zelda and Mario that were popular in the Wii days, gave them HD graphics, and created a system that can be played on your TV and is portable as well,” Bright continued. “Those are two big technology changes for games that didn’t exist before.”

He also believes that the decision to launch Nintendo Switch in spring will help the console to build momentum as the year progresses.

“The Q1 launch is one of the smartest moves Nintendo could have done,” he added. “Instead of pushing units out during the heaviest time of the year (in Q4), this allows them to build a base. So by holiday, we can focus on games. There will be millions of people who will be hungry for content, creating a richer development cycle for game publishers who will have an install base to support titles. This also will take some of the brunt off of Christmas and enable Switch to be better stocked at stores.”

This guy clearly knows what he's talking about./sarcasm Mario and Zelda in HD for the first time? Another person who doesn't know that the Wii U exists. And what every company wishes they could do, skip the busiest time of the year for launching a new product and instead launch it when people are skint. He has other words of wisdom too. Nintendo weren't ready for Christmas, that's why it's launching now. I'd argue that they're still not ready but they can't afford to wait any longer and they need the sales to boost their financial balance before the fiscal year ends.

I like the March launch. Nintendo launched 3DS in March also, and I know if I were Nintendo, I'd be following the 3DS roadmap over the Wii U.

@KiWiiU_Freek I wait for the official nintendogs accessories.

Am i the only one who is loosing hype?After the reveal in Jan and the FE direct I thought we'd have regular updates until launch, with at least 1 more direct. I love Nintendo games and pre-ordered as soon as I could, I've also avoided all 'stolen' footage but there's still loads the big N needs to reveal. At this point I don't even know if the eshop will work day one! Having said that will it matter, as most eshop games seem to be missing launch day anyway.

@Lylard why? If you pre-order they charge you just when they ship the Console. =P

I really do not see the point. Back in January, I have watched the Nintendo presentation for the Switch launch and at the end immediately entered Amazon and pre-ordered mine. There is no charge for pre-order, so why people waited until there were no more pre-orders available to complain? Of course right now it will be impossible to pre-order one (at least in some countries, here in Germany we still find it pretty easy).

@SH007ME What a good idea!

@Windy where do you leave? I got a little bit worried now that my Switch will not be here on Friday =P

GAME may have preorders open, but I have it on good authority that they aren't guaranteed for launch day. Of course they have stock coming in all the time, but that's no indication of day-1 availability. Gameseek are about to open more orders at the sub- £200 price...... Good luck to all that ordered lol.

In the UK the lack of marketing is creating a market where the produce and all accessories and software are widly available. Speaking to freinds who hold roles within the retail sector, some store have not even shifted 10% of there launch stock allocation.
This is mostly driven from lack of awareness. Unless you follow Nintendo, watch the directs, use sites like this. Then average Joe has no idea a new console is coming.
On the high street the two remaining retailers Argos and Game have almost zero marketing material. And tho Game has a fixture header. This is very clearly underwhelming in a visually cluttered shop. The likes of Tesco have no display material at all.

@SwitchVogel ..hey you Switched!, nice, I like it..

I snagged my pre order when Gamestop announced them. My pre order was one of the last two systems available. This is going to be a fantastic early birthday present. I was unable to get the neon joycon Switch so will get those controllers later.

I hope we find out the number of sold units and sold pre orders on March 4th.

@Lord

Whilst I do agree the uk marketing hasn't been brilliant I have to say there seems to a lot more awareness than there was with the Wii U.

A lot of my friends / work colleagues are into their PS4's (I am myself in fairness) but the majority I've spoken to are at least aware of the Switch and are genuinely interested in getting one. In my office at work I'm one of 3 people with a Switch on pre-order and we've all booked 3rd March off work in anticipation for it

With the Wii U hardly anyone knew about it at all and those that did probably assumed it was some kind of add on for the Wii.

Just based on my circle of friends / work colleagues and my Facebook newsfeed I'm much more optimistic about the success of the switch than I ever was for the Wii U

@KiWiiU_Freek
Aw...
Joy Con with cute poochy mouth. :3

You should all come to the uk, plenty preorder available here.

@the8thark Exactly, plus will also increase GameStop's stock price and his executive bonus!

@Agent721 Overall the stock meets the demand, really. Some countries are lacking units, others have plenty to go around. UK for example has shown no signs of shortage in stock, because the pre-orders are pretty low. Pretty sure you should be able to find an online retailer that ships for release day though, but idk, if playing from midnight is important for you, I guess going to a midnight release is the best

Mine is pre ordered, but I really hope we all can enjoy Breath of the Wild in the best way on march.

If it does continue to sell good then there will be stock issues there always is it is still hard at times to find a 3DS and it is a five year old system.

Amazed at all the hype and anticipation for the Switch in the US - as others have said, it isn't generating nearly the same excitement in the UK. I know one person interested in picking one up but I think most people here have a real 'wait and see' attitude for anything that isn't an Xbox or PlayStation. Hopefully if the Switch is a big hit in the US some of that buzz will filter its way over here eventually.

I guess part of the reason has to be that games just don't have the retail presence here that they used to. GAME is greatly diminished on the high street and there aren't a whole lot of alternatives, certainly not the kind to have big in-store displays.

I'll wait until Christmas. Seems the perfect family present for the 25th when I can grab MK8DX, Splatoon 2 and Odyssey alongside it. 2-player gaming after lunch at the table 😁

There will either be more stock or a price cut by then too.

I'm not expecting Xenoblade 2 this side of 2018 though.

I don't think it's sold out anywhere in the UK, even Nintendo's own website still has stock for launch. Embarrassing...

Some people are completely unaware it's even being released!

I have always maintained that their March release was a smart move for a number of reasons; including what the guy said in his interview.

I feel like it is a win win situation for Nintendo.

If, like some have said, the date is merely so their yearly takings look better, then, fine, why not? They're a business, and that would seem like a smart business move to keep investors etc happy.

March is also really the first month of the year when people start to get a little bit more expendable income, as they have generally paid off Christmas/New Year by this point, and general, every day life seems to be back on track.

People also get their tax rebates a month later so they are probably taking advantage of those that know that they have some money coming their way on top of their wages. Plus here in the UK there is no council tax in February or March, so that might always help sway some people.

And above all, releasing now, like the guy said, when there isn't that much else happening in the gaming world per se, has given Nintendo the edge in buzz and excitement, as it will have more people talking.

Lets face it, as great as it would be for this thing to launch at Christmas with a bigger launch day lineup of games, and more time to work on any updates they're going to give us (like a web browser etc), even though it is a brand new console, how many people would be put off after having just bought an Xbox One or PS4 in a Black Friday deal? Or how about people that already own those consoles but decide to spend all their money on all the huge titles released between October and December instead of buying a Switch? Or those that decide to pick a Scorpio over a Switch if they both released together?

There is far too much going on in the Christmas period as it is, so IMO, releasing now, gives them around 7-8 months before the holiday season for the Switch to be well and truly underway, with nothing but incredible games to worry about come Christmas time, and, for those that don't already own a Switch, which bundle to buy/which game(s) to get with your console.

Slightly off topic, but I genuinely don't think that anyone here in the UK will have a problem getting one on launch day, wherever you order/buy from.

I like how he says Nintendo is very smart. They are very wanting to hit before the end of their fiscal year is all. Maybe it ends up looking smart and in the long run a good thing but Nintendo hasn't been all that smart in recent past......however they are doing a lot of things right with this launch! They get a pass for looking smart this time! 😉

Just like all nintendo consoles. When the Gamecube released, it took months before a Memory card could be found...because nintendo shorted them. The Wii...well, the console took over a year before it was able to sit on a store shelf for more than a minute...then it was impossible to find an extra remote until Wii Play came out...now, Switch (sorry, Wii U was easy to find everywhere over here)...won't find a console until a year later. Oh well, the only game I'll be looking forward to is the new Mario Adventure, so I can care less...have the 3DS and PS4 to keep us all entertained until then, and I'd rather wait for the games to come out and see how the 3rd parties will keep the system going first...I still have doubts that 3rd parties will continue to stay on board, and I don't want all the shovel ware and cartoony-sports titles for it instead.

@Switch81tch but this isn't a soft launch, it is just a launch.

@the8thark it is possible to have more than one reason for making a decision. In fact, in business, you almost never do anything without having multiple reasons unless that reason is a crazy good one.

Lol, the armchair analysts are coming out the woodwork.

It isnt unheard of to release a system in Q1. They obviously want it to drop before their financials but that isnt the sole reason. This is also tax refund season, where folks have more money to play around with.

If you actually analyze the market, releasing in Christmas wouldve been a bad move with the amount of competition lining up their holiday deals. Theres a reason even microsoft and sony are pushing console deals out right now, they're trying to scream over the NS

@Lylard same

@SegaBlueSky @segamegadrive
Has either of you seen an ad for the Swith actually on TV inthe UK yet?

@TbobB Nope, but in all fairness I almost never watch live TV anyway, always on-demand. More surprised that the shops don't seem to be making much of a splash about it. Went into Game at the weekend and it took me two laps around the store to actually find anything about the Switch!

@TbobB I've not seen a Switch advert yet, and I spent quite a lot of time watching popular channel's like Sky1/Atlantic, Comedy Central, 4/E4. Bit disappointing, really.

All of my friends are massive Nintendo fans, but none of us are getting Switch's at launch. I think that really says something about how Nintendo has marketed the system. We're all getting Zelda Wii U, and still battling/trading in Pokemon.

Switch is going to be in for a tough time in the UK, especially if they keep their marketing at zero. Works for me, though, because hopefully by Christmas retailers will be offering discounts/bundles, which was when I was plannign on picking one up anyway.

Everybody knew it would sell out at launch. It's q2 where we'll see how popular it is and if it's still moving well. Scalpers are really taking much of the initial demand. I know somebody with 10 Switch pre-orders.

It better be. I was the first in line to preorder out of a total 15 on the door poster from my local Gamestop. Looks like I may need to be the first to pick mine up at Gamestop. But I also have a Switch system coming in from Amazon via FedEx/UPS to my job address while I'm working. So, I'm pretty sure I won't miss out either way...

@bolt05
Amazon doesn't usually do this, but I've preordered mine on 13th January anyway to be sure

@JaxonH
The N64 was released in March as well. I don't know what your musical taste is but I love Prince. Most of Prince's albums in the 80's were released in March.

It's the beginning of the year. the winter is over. It's a good time to release a new product. March is a great month.

@Mogster
I get the feeling that the Switch will kick off in the UK post launch, when people start seeing them and the adverts properly kick in, it'll be a different story. Although, I can't recall ever seeing a TV ad for a games console pre launch...

There had better be a switch for me out there I swear to Iwata

Launching in March makes sense. It allows them to sell lots of systems to early adopters and then replenish stock in time to service the holiday shoppers later in the year. It means that Joe Dad who just wants to buy a Christmas present for his kids will not have to compete with the die-hard gamers who will go to extreme lengths to get a unit at launch (waiting in line all night, driving to another city because a store clerk there agreed to put one aside for them etc). I think this will work out very well for Nintendo and they will have a very healthy installed base by the end of 2017. My prediction is 7 million units sold through by year end.

There will be plenty available on March 3rd...on eBay and Craigslist.
I'll wait until I can buy one retail in the store, same with the NES Classic I'm not paying extra just to line some jackwagon scalper's pockets. I eventually found a Classic in the store and I'll eventually find a Switch in the store too. The games I really want don't release until the end of April anyway.

Suck a lemon gamestop!

They said the same thing for WII U . Didn't they?

@Danpal65 if you order a seperate set of neon joycons, the colours are switched. This way, you can have all red or all blue

I'd guess having one of each colour both prevents the need for a 3rd or even 4th SKU at launch (could of been one grey, one red, one blue, one mixed)

@Boxmonkey me neither. Until now

@KiWiiU_Freek Want! No, not want. NEED!

@Blizzia

I live in the US and preordered mine on the first day. But it's been a gigantic challenge getting a hold of the accessories, but I'm set their too. In the US, the stock is totally sold out, but you're right that is not the case everywhere else. I'm glad I got mine!

If only I didn't have bills to pay back on Jan 12... I literally had the moment to not just pre-order, but buy the system complete and I missed my chance. So angry and bitter about it, but I'll get over it. Come 3/3, I will make that pointless "journey in the name of luck", but I will definitely try regardless. Who knows? Otherwise I'm going to be waiting until later in the month...

@Boxmonkey Then they should reallocate the stock to the US! I can't preorder anywhere at the moment.

I also refuse to pay one cent more then retail. I also refuse to wait in lines or call a billion stores to check on stock. I've grown tired of Nintendo's tactics.

I was at my local gamestop this weekend, and they asked me if I wanted to pre-order anything (as usual) and I jokingly said the switch (knowing a last minute preorder wasn't going to happen). I wasnt able to get one but was told how there have been preorder cancellations and to check 3 days before release to try to get one because there might be extras in stock from cancelled preorders.

@savage_celery
So true. I personally know people that preordered the switch "just in case" is ice is the dumbest reason on my mind. You can probably catch one if you are lucky.

I'm positive he march release is for fiscal reasons, but it's still a smart idea. You want to have the Switch established by Christmas. That helps for the games, and the best marketing for non gaming families is months of seeing the Switch in action.

So when johnny asks mom for the tablet hat he has seen other kids for, she walks in and gets the Switch bundled with Mario. Seems a good idea to me.

I'm in the UK and unfortunately I don't see the Switch doing well here. I really hope it does, but the only place I've seen it advertised are on the GAME app (fair play its still on the main page) and in GAME itself... but the Switch section is hidden away in a bad, hard-to-see area.
It's sad, but a lot of my 'gamer' friends haven't even heard about it. They're happy with the Xboxes and PlayStations.

I secured 3 preorders the first day they were open. (Long story, but the extra 2 are headed to others who missed out on getting a preorder, at-cost...not trying to make a buck)...but, in my experience, there were plenty available for preorder that first day. (In the US).

The Switch having a higher attach rate than the Wii U is actually kind of surprising, given that the Wii U launched with some 30+ retail games while the Switch is launching with ~10. Just really goes to show how poorly all Wii U games sold at launch outside of New Super Mario U, Nintendo Land (a bundled game), and Monster Hunter 3U (a launch title in Japan only).

The important thing will be how well the Switch sells after its first 2 months. Switch sales from May to December this year will give everyone a good indication as to whether this platform is a success, and consequently, how much software support it will receive in the future.

@Agent721 I feel really sorry for people wanting the pro controller in US, heard it's a hell to get :/ Meanwhile in my tiny-ass country only the console is sold out, but it didn't sell out till last Friday, so there was plenty of time xD Sucks that accessories aren't fully available everywhere in acceptable stock... I can understand consoles, but they should've figured having at least 5 times the number of accessories compared to consoles would be a must xD People go nuts for this kind of stuff.

@Moon Wow. I get ever more amazed at the lack of love for Nintendo over there. Is Nintendo failing to advertise it as much as here? I wonder if it's self defeating. They know they don't perform well there so they don't spend much money there, therefore they don't perform well there.

OTOH since we can't even get enough machines here to fill the day 1 preorders, thank you UK, for hating Nintendo!

Shows that making Switch a pack-in would have been pointlessly negative for both third-party sales and Nintendo's bottom line. Of course, in the future it will be easy to pack a game such as that in to increase sales or interest, no need to now when you are going to sell every system you can produce. And it really does a solid for third-parties because it's a lot easier to pass/wait on an extra game with BotW at launch when you have a pack-in.

I think spring is a perfect time so people will see that it's great by the holiday and get one. If this was a holiday launch, it would be terrible, but instead by the holiday we will have the new Mario game, Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Zelda, and more

@Blizzia
Well said! The last thing I was able to secure is one pro controller & I had to hunt it down, continually looking to preorder one. It took a few weeks. At first, no one even had them for sale.

I agree. It's one thing to sell out the console, it's another to under supply accessories. But maybe the ever looming shadow of the Wii U's failure scared accessory providers to make too much stock and be left holding the bag. What country are you in?

@Snader Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Wii U launch with more units?

@Agent721 I'm in Denmark (it's in Europe, western part of Scandinavia), and well, the Switch isn't popular here at all. It's kinda viewed like the Vita. Only few stores advertise anything, and if I wanted to buy stuff from my local Gamestop, I'd have to pre-order with them by going in there and telling them exactly what I wanted, after which they'd have to order those items. AKA they don't get stock sent, they have to buy stock to sell. And they'll only buy the stuff I ask them to, not more units xD

The vita died here on like half a year. No stores selling anything anymore either. Nintendo is very picky with advertising, and only picks bigger countries, which is a shame. Though they've failed in UK too, which is surprising.

Rest of Europe should have proper advertising though.

@NEStalgia I've not seen any Nintendo adverts on the TV, but I don't watch tele... so maybe they are advertising and I don't know about it. Whatever they're doing, it doesn't seem to be enough. We'll see though, I guess!

@InternetBowser Have you seen any ads for the Switch? I'm hoping that maybe they're waiting for launch to start advertising. I feel like they need to go big like they did in America. Support a football team or advertise in between Eastenders or something...

Oh! I actually did see a Zelda advert on YouTube, while playing my Xbox the other day. Not sure that counts though...

@Blizzia
Ha, ok. Never been to Denmark, but I'm a dual French/American citizen, who lived in Paris in my youth (now live in L.A.), so I'm quite familiar with all of Europe.

In the states, there's now tv commercials non stop, so much so I caught myself humming the tune from it this weekend. It's got pretty good hype here, versus the non existent hype of the Wii U launch. I'm much more positive on its future.

Hopefully it does well across the world and in Denmark as well. Cheers!

@Agent721 I actually went to some website to watch some American TV channels just to enjoy Switch commercials here and there xD just had it running in the background, was actually really enjoyable. Yeah, hope it does well!

@Reginald Apparently Nintendo sold 3.06 million Wii U units in it's first 44 days on the market. I can't find anything on the initial shipments. Now they have 2 million Switch units for the first 28 days. So I think it's on par.

@setezerocinco im in Las Vegas nv. My pre order has no mailing dates or any guarantee of delivery dates so im kind of worried. Im a power Ups member if that might help lol

@TbobB I don't watch live TV but I did see my first commercial last night during the Brit Awards.