The console is not the only piece of hardware affected, since peripherals such as Ring Fit are also produced in China.
The warning has become real. The president of Nintendo, Shuntaro Furukawa, already announced that the coronavirus was affecting the production of Nintendo Switch, which is mainly manufactured in China and Vietman. Through a statement, the Kyoto company has confirmed that the production of the console has been affected by the crisis, so its distribution will be delayed in Japan. The machine is not the only one that has suffered the ravages of the virus, as some peripherals such as Ring Fit are also manufactured in the Asian country.
According to the Japanese company, the distribution in Europe and the United States will not change. Nor will it affect Animal Crossing: New Horizons in these territories (yes in Japan) or the game pack with the console, which will arrive in stores as planned, on March 20. Speaking to Bloomberg News, a Nintendo representative said that if the crisis worsens, they will try to channel the production of Nintendo Switch through the factories of Vietnam, so that distribution in the Japanese country can be ensured.
Ring Fit Adventures and its demand in Japan
Coronavirus expansion has occurred at a delicate time for Nintendo, as Ring Fit Adventures was already suffering from stock problems in Japan before. The high demand for the product, a sports game in which the player uses a fitness ring and his body to exercise and live an adventure, can not be guaranteed if the situation does not change in the coming weeks.
With 52.48 million Nintendo Switch sold, the Japanese intended to market 18 million before the end of the 2019-2020 fiscal year (until March 31). However, forecasts varied and estimated that this figure would increase to 19.5 million. It is not clear if the coronavirus will affect the expectations of a company that faces a new fiscal year that will be characterized by the premiere of two new machines, Xbox Series X and PS5.
