Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa said they will enforce countermeasures against Switch 2 scalpers. Read on to learn more about the preparations Nintendo is making ahead of Switch 2’s launch.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa Shares Insight on Switch 2’s Release
Nintendo Doing Preemptive Measures to Combat Switch 2 Scalpers
On February 4, 2025, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa revealed that they are preparing against Switch 2 scalpers, as reported by Nikkei and translated by VGC.
Speaking to the Japanese press, Furukawa was asked about Nintendo’s plan to make Switch 2’s launch as seamless as possible. "We will take all possible measures based on the experience we have accumulated to date," Furukawa answered. "We are making preparations."
Furukawa previously mentioned Nintendo’s countermeasure against Switch 2 scalpers. According to IGN, on July 1, 2024, the company will produce enough Switch 2 units to satisfy consumer demand. "As a countermeasure against resale, we believe the most important thing is to produce a sufficient number to meet customer demand, and this idea has not changed since last year," Furukawa shared. "In addition to this, we are considering whether there are any other measures that can be taken to the extent allowed by laws and regulations, taking into account the circumstances of each region."
Though this is only the current concrete plan Nintendo has in store for Switch 2 scalpers, other game companies partnered with retail stores and invested in bot detection to identify bots and cancel their purchases since they automatically buy large amounts of games and consoles in one go.
Perhaps Nintendo will take a similar approach to combat Switch 2 resellers as they can exponentially mark up the price, forcing some interested individuals to spend more money.
Switch Sales Are Declining, but Not Because of Switch 2
In another report from The Sankei Shimbun on February 4, 2025, Nintendo’s sales forecast for Switch was reduced to 11 million units. However, Furukawa believed it was not because of Switch 2 Hype, which was officially revealed on January 16, 2025.
According to President Furukawa (translated by Google Translate), "We don't think the impact of refraining from purchasing is that great. We think it's a solid eighth year, but we haven't reached our target." Though its sales are on the decline, the Switch is currently the best-selling console in the US, finally taking the crown from PS2. However, the former remains the best-selling console of all time.
Meanwhile, VGC interviewed Dr. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games and shared his insight on Nintendo’s latest financial results. Kantan Games is an independent consultancy company focused on the game industry and its Japanese market "It is now much clearer how Nintendo overestimated the life that is still left in the Switch at the start of the fiscal year," shared Toto. "Nintendo now revised the hardware sales forecast two times, and I expect them to miss even this lowered forecast."
"I’m not sure why they thought they would sell 14 million units this fiscal year with a very dry software slate. Switch 2 cannot come soon enough. I hope for them it is not scheduled for Fall, like not too few people believe."
Nintendo’s latest financial earnings report revealed that Switch sales declined by 30% from January to December 2024 compared to the previous year. It might sound alarming, but this is a natural trend for consoles nearing the end of their life cycle.
Nintendo to Support Switch as Long as Demand Exists
Referring to The Sankei Shimbun article, the original Switch will not leave the shelves yet as Furukawa reassured investors that Nintendo will continue to sell Switch "as long as there is demand."
Despite the decline in demand, Nintendo Switch and its games are still selling millions of copies around the world. For instance, 13.74 million Switch units (including OLED and Lite) were sold last year. Meanwhile, a recently released Super Mario Party Jamboree sold 6.17 million units. Surprisingly, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (an enhanced version of its 2014 WiiU version) still sold 5.38 million copies.
Nintendo is still selling millions of Switch consoles and games despite a decline in sales, indicating that consumer demand is dwindling but not completely gone.
Sources:
VGC: Nintendo’s Preparation Against Switch 2 Resellers
Nikkei: Nintendo President Insight About Switch 2 Launch
The Sankei Shimbun: Nintendo President Explained Switch’s Declining Sales is not About Switch 2
Nintendo’s Latest Financial Results
