Switch Pre-Orders Sold Out at GameStop But Could We See More On The Way?
Earlier today, Alex told you about the Nintendo Switch’s HD Rumble feature and how that will be a game changer for the publisher. You can read that feature here. Today, GameStop announced that they are completely sold-out of their initial pre-order allocation of the Nintendo Switch consoles “in a matter of few days” online and across their over 3,900 stores in the United States.
Despite this, GameStop is working with Nintendo in the attempt to satisfy pre-order demand. GameStop Senior Vice President of Merchandising Bob Puzon accompanied the press release with a comment, mentioning that the news indicates a desire among gamers for this “fun and revolutionary gaming system”. He said:
“The fact that this initial allotment has been completely reserved in a matter of a few days demonstrates gamers desire for this fun and revolutionary gaming system. We’re working closely with Nintendo to get additional Nintendo Switch units, and will let our customers know when they become available. We encourage customers to visit www.gamestop.com/switch and sign up to get updates about the product and availability.”
GameStop has been a big supporter of the Nintendo Switch for quite a while now, as the GameStop executives have talked up the console on multiple occasions. CEO Paul Raines said it has “tremendous potential as a game changer.” We can certainly expect the retailer to push the console quite hard, since it seems to encourage physical sales, and cartridges open up a big refurbishing business opportunity for GameStop and EB Games. Of course, we don’t know how many units of the initial shipment were allocated to GameStop. All we know is that Nintendo is planning to deliver two million units worldwide during the console’s launch month.