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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Nintendo takes a gamble with record-setting Switch production plans [arstechnica.com]

The Nintendo Switch has been an unqualified success so far, with Nintendo recently promising increased holiday season production [arstechnica.com] to meet demand and expectations of over 16 million total sales by the end of March 2018. Reporting now suggests the company is expecting that sales pace to increase markedly in the coming year, though, and another associated production increase would come with both a fair amount of potential and risk for the company.

The production news comes from The Wall Street Journal, which cites "people with direct knowledge of the matter" in reporting that Nintendo plans to make 25 to 30 million Switch units in the coming fiscal year (which starts in April 2018). That's a major increase from the 13 million produced for the current fiscal year, which itself was a sizable increase [arstechnica.com] from the company's initial plans to make just 8 million units [arstechnica.com] for the console's first full year on shelves. WSJ's sources say those production numbers could go up even higher if coming holiday season sales are strong.

Nintendo exec: Failed Wii U is responsible for Switch's success [cnn.com]

The success of the company's latest gaming console, the Nintendo Switch, is the result of lessons taken from the failed Wii U [cnn.com], according to Reggie Fils-Aimé, the president of Nintendo America.

[...] The console also didn't have a consistent flow of new games supporting the system. "We've addressed that with the Nintendo Switch -- having a steady pace of new launches is critical," he said. The Switch includes games like "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Super Mario Odyssey" and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe."

Another issue with the Wii U was that it didn't have "strong support" from Nintendo's third-party partners, Fils-Aimé said. "Whether it's the big companies like Electronic Arts, or whether it's the smaller independent developer, we need those companies to create content to support us. We have that now with Nintendo Switch," he said.

Previously: Will Third-Party Developers Support Nintendo's Switch? [soylentnews.org]
Nintendo Switch Available on March 3rd for $299 [soylentnews.org]
Nintendo Switch Stolen by Distributor's Employees Ahead of Launch, Details Leaked [soylentnews.org]
The Ghost in Nintendo's Switch - Game Unlocks on the Date of Satoru Iwata's Death [soylentnews.org]

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