While console launches these days are known for stock shortages owing to scalpers grabbing all the stocks they can to then flip at much higher prices, Nintendo is taking a firm stance against the practice for the upcoming Switch 2 launch in Japan. In an official statement on the Nintendo Japan website, the company has stated that it is teaming up with Mercari, Yahoo! Auctions and Yahoo! Flea Market, and Rakuten Rakuma to take measures against scalpers listing Switch 2 for sale.
“Nintendo and the three service providers will take measures to combat fraudulent listings of Nintendo products, including Nintendo Switch 2, that violate their respective terms of use, including by having the service providers proactively remove listings and by establishing a collaborative system for sharing information,” wrote the company (translation via Google).
As part of the partnership, the companies are essentially banning Switch 2 listings on their websites, which are primary designed as eBay-styled websites where users can buy and sell items. Since quite a few of the major marketplace websites in Japan will be unable to carry these listings, scalpers will likely be discouraged from trying to pick up excess stock that Nintendo would prefer going to regular players.,
As part of its part in the partnership, Yahoo has announced that Yahoo! Auctions will outright prohibit Switch 2 listings. While temporary, the company is working with Nintendo to prevent listings that it believes “may cause confusion in the trading environment or lead to fraudulent listings.” Rakuten, on the other hand, has stated that it is only prohibiting Switch 2 listings until the console is actually out.
The console is proving to be incredibly successful in Japan even before its launch, with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa having announced back in April that more than 2 million fans had signed up for the lottery system through which the console is being sold in the country. “On April 2, we announced the details of the Nintendo Switch 2 and began accepting applications for a lottery sale on the My Nintendo Store,” wrote Furukawa. “As a result, we received applications from an astonishing 2.2 million people in Japan alone.
In his statement, Furukawa apologised that several people who signed up for a chance to pre-order the Switch 2 would be left out, considering the massive demand for the console in Japan far outstripping supply, at least for the time being. While the company has made moves to make pre-ordering easier for those who couldn’t do it the first time around, Furukawa also mentioned that Nintendo is working on ramping up production.
“Furthermore, we are planning to produce and ship a substantial number of Nintendo Switch 2 units moving forward,” he wrote. “We sincerely apologize for the time it will take to fully meet your expectations and kindly ask for your understanding.”
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be hitting store shelves on June 5. In its earnings report, Nintendo has said that it wants to sell 15 million units of the console over the coming fiscal year.
