Nintendo rumored to cut Switch 2 production by over 30% following weak holiday sales in the United States

After initially planning to sell 20 million units, Nintendo is cutting Switch 2 production by more than 30% this quarter. Bloomberg reports that Nintendo is revising its original plan to make 6 million units and is now looking to produce 4 million instead, with the reduced output set to begin in April.

Nintendo originally anticipated to ship 20 million units within the console's first year on the market, which ends later this month. The Switch 2 had a record-breaking launch, selling well over 17.3 million units (as of December 31, 2025), reported in February, far surpassing the original console's initial sales. Now, nine months on from launch, the hype may be beginning to dwindle as the company is seeing weaker-than-expected holiday sales, especially in the United States.

Nintendo could be making this move for several reasons. One theory points to Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 revision, which would feature a replaceable battery to comply with new European legislation. The company is already taking a profit hit on its special Japan-only Switch 2 console, where the more units it sells, the more money it loses on a per-console basis.

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If Nintendo faces a similar situation with its EU-specific revision, it could find itself in a difficult position, reporting weak numbers across all three major regions with the US now joining the trend. That kind of pressure could eventually lead to price increases in specific regions, or perhaps even worldwide.

Nintendo could also be waiting to see if demand picks up following new software releases before committing to higher production. The company has some promising titles to push people toward picking up the hybrid console, including Pokemon Pokopia, which scored 90 on Metacritic and sold 2.2 million units in its debut week. That said, Nintendo has yet to comment on these production claims, so like any rumor, take this with a grain of salt.