Nintendo has undoubtedly seen massive success with its new console, the Switch 2. However, demand for the console in the US had seemingly fallen short of the company’s expectations following the holiday period. According to a report by Bloomberg, the company has decided to slow down production of the Switch 2 in the US by more than 30 percent.
Interestingly, the report has noted that, while Pokémon Pokopia has been quite successful, it hasn’t led to the company changing its stance on its current sales targets for the console as a whole. Rather, Nintendo management is seemingly waiting to evaluate the long-term effects the game, along with other planned releases, have on Switch 2 hardware demands in the market.
As for whether this might finally be the first decision Nintendo makes in response to skyrocketing memory prices, the report has noted that this isn’t the case. Rather, cuts in production capacity have been made simply due to lower demand.
We might also start seeing larger effects on the Nintendo Switch 2 from the global memory shortages, as has been predicted by research firm Niko Partners as part of its broader prediction of trends for the gaming industry over the course of 2026.
The report’s timing is also quite noteworthy, since another one from earlier this month has indicated that Nintendo is planning to release a new version of the Switch 2 in the European market that will feature an easily-replaceable battery. According to Japanese publication Nikkei, the company is seemingly keeping an eye on consumer awareness for “right to repair” in other markets as well. As part of this hardware refresh, the batteries in the Joy-Con 2 controllers will also be easier to replace. It is unknown whether peripherals like the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller will see similar treatment.
Since the Switch 2’s easy-to-repair model is being introduced to align with the European Union’s right to repair legislation, there is also a belief that this might lead to the discontinuation of the original Nintendo Switch. The console is quite old, having originally come out in 2017, and Nintendo is likely to release an entirely new model for it since its sales focus is likely fixated on the Switch 2.
For now, there is no confirmed launch date for the new model of the Nintendo Switch 2. However, pressure from EU legislation indicates that the company will likely release it sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, Nintendo has ended up with a certifiable hit in its hands with the release of Pokémon Pokopia earlier this month. The company had announced that it had sold more than 2.2 million copies in its first four days of release alone, out of which, 1 million units were sold in Japan. The sales milestone announcement came just days after the title started getting an overwhelmingly-positive critical response. At the time of publishing, its aggregated review score on Metacritic sits at 90 out of 100. In our own review, we gave Pokémon Pokopia a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its engaging premise, charm and personality, and a host of other good things.
