Report: Nintendo significantly ramps up Switch production
Company now expects to manufacture 18m consoles this financial year
Nintendo has ordered a major production increase for Switch and could now manufacture as many as 18m machines by the end of its financial year next March.
The Financial Times reports that the rise is an effort to starve off "customer tantrums" that may occur due to stock shortages.
Switch has endured stock issues since its launch, which has seen it become the fastest-selling console in the company's history. The 18m figure is not backed up by Nintendo, which is sticking to its 10m estimation by the end of the financial year.
However, the newspaper warns that Nintendo's efforts to improve manufacturing may be hit by a shortage of LCD screens.
This all comes in the wake of news that Capcom will launch a Switch version of Monster Hunter XX this summer in Japan, which helped push Nintendo's stock to to a 9-year high. Indeed, Capcom's stock also rose to a six-year high on the announcement.
Elsewhere, both GameStop and Best Buy beat expectations on its same-store sales thanks to the device, while Nintendo's component suppliers have all raised their sales expectations.
Christmas is expected to be a key test for the console as to whether its sales can be sustained beyond the launch window. Nintendo has spread out its titles throughout the launch year, with the arrival of Arms in June and Splatoon 2 in July. It ends the year with DLC for Zelda: Breath of the Wild, third-party games Skyrim and FIFA, and its big first-party release Super Mario Odyssey.
Additional Christmas games are expected to be revealed at E3 next month.