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GameStop: 'Tremendous Demand' for Switch, Pre-order Attach Rate Higher Than Wii U

GameStop: 'Tremendous Demand' for Switch, Pre-order Attach Rate Higher Than Wii U - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 22 February 2017 / 14,774 Views

GameStop senior director of merchandising Eric Bright in an interview with alistdaily spoke about the Nintendo Switch.

"We’ve seen tremendous demand for Switch," said Bright. "And of the initial allocation of pre-orders we took, the majority of them were done by PowerUp Reward customers. They’re definitely looking for this device. We have a ways to go before we satisfy all the demand that’s out there.

"They’ve taken a lot of franchises like Zelda and Mario that were popular in the Wii days, gave them HD graphics, and created a system that can be played on your TV and is portable as well. Those are two big technology changes for games that didn’t exist before."


Bright believes that Nintendo launching the Switch in March was a good idea that will help Nintendo build up a base for the Holiday period.

"The Q1 launch is one of the smartest moves Nintendo could have done," Bright said. "Instead of pushing units out during the heaviest time of the year (in Q4), this allows them to build a base. So by holiday, we can focus on games. There will be millions of people who will be hungry for content, creating a richer development cycle for game publishers who will have an install base to support titles. This also will take some of the brunt off of Christmas and enable Switch to be better stocked at stores.

"Nintendo has learned from the mistakes it made with Wii U because there’s a wide assortment of third-party games from developers like EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda and Take-Two, as well as first-party Nintendo titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildSuper Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2."


Bright added the attach rate for pre-orders of Switch games is higher than the Wii U saw before launch. This includes the Wii U pack-in game. 

"The biggest win for the customer is they can make their own choice with games," Bright said. "They can pick which of the games they want to pair with the hardware they’re buying—whether they’re Zelda fans or 1-2-Switch. From our sales perspective, we’re seeing incredible demand. We’re pleased with the Switch attach rate. People are not just buying one game. They’re buying multiple games."

The Nintendo Switch launches worldwide on March 3.


A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.


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31 Comments
NateH (on 22 February 2017)

I want the Switch to become a Wii-like phenomenon, so we can get all those salty tears from PC/Xbox/PS4 users who want Nintendo to go third party, so they can play Nintendo first-party titles on their systems.

  • +14
naruball NateH (on 22 February 2017)

Good luck with that.

  • 0
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xuwesomu NateH (on 26 February 2017)

like Melissa implied I'm stunned that people can get paid $7692 in 1 month on the computer .
have a peek at this website............. www.josky2day.com

  • 0
DJEVOLVE NateH (on 28 February 2017)

I'm a Xbox One gamer and love when Nintendo does well, however as of late I don't like their tactics. Also not keeping up demand has got pathetic, I have been trying to pre-order for over a month. I literally can't give them my money because they won't ever keep up with Demand. It is a turn off at this point.

  • +1
Goodnightmoon (on 22 February 2017)

Lovely to see people still in denial about Switch imminent success

  • +13
Anfebious Goodnightmoon (on 22 February 2017)

You can almost savour the salt.

  • +8
fluky-nintendy Goodnightmoon (on 22 February 2017)

Until there's actual WW numbers, people won't believe after the total flop wiiu was. I wouldn't risk my wallet on something that don't sell at least 8 M the first year, because good and long support for that console depends on a big demand. So it's a good thing if the Switch actually sells a good number, but let's not cover the sun with a finger and pretend that Nintendo isn't known for devious stock management.

  • +1
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JOKA_ Goodnightmoon (on 23 February 2017)

I also want the Switch to succeed, but man these are the posts that we need to bookmark just in case it doesn't

  • 0
Goodnightmoon Goodnightmoon (on 23 February 2017)

Bookmark anything you want

  • +4
linkhouse (on 23 February 2017)

Only 8 days left :D

  • +6
Podings (on 23 February 2017)

I think they made an excellent call with not bundling 1, 2, Switch.

If the game proves successful with certain crowds to start out with, they can always put out a bundle with it come Christmas, to win over the people that really can only be bothered with picking one box from a shelf.

  • +4
Metallox (on 22 February 2017)

Donald Trump works in Gamestop!

  • +1
ArchangelMadzz (on 26 February 2017)

So the Wii U was pre-ordered more then?

If it wasn't they'd say instead of only talking about attach rate?

  • 0
bonzobanana (on 24 February 2017)

Not going to be an early adopter myself but will be great to see Nintendo do well with the Switch. I think the launch success will vary by country though. USA will be a strong market.

  • 0
hecaxule (on 23 February 2017)

sd

  • 0
hecaxule (on 23 February 2017)

nice

  • 0
NSS7 (on 23 February 2017)

Competition is good for everyone. I twill encourage Sony to invest more to make a lot of amazing games. PS2 had weaker 1st party games compared to PS1 and PS3 (my personal opinion) because Sony dominate the console market.

  • 0
Kenny0meg@ (on 22 February 2017)

they need to bundle the hell out of it

  • 0
monocle_layton (on 22 February 2017)

Hate to be that guy, but is there an estimation of the average amount of games ordered per system?

  • 0
kodeindahjunk (on 23 February 2017)

Hahahahaha.... This news is just another Nintendont's way to hype a DOA product. Let's be logical..

  • It's trying to replace gaming on home consoles, tablets, & smartphones.
  • Joycons only fit in the hands of a baby.
  • Lastgen hardware with lastgen softwares. I'd rather play Skyrim on a Ps3 instead of spending €400-500 to replay it again. (LOL)

    It's not even out yet, but it's already time to switch back to real consoles with real comfy controllers.

    RIP Switch.

  • -6
monocle_layton kodeindahjunk (on 26 February 2017)

Do you want a cookie?

  • +3
Helloplite (on 22 February 2017)
  • -16
gigaSheik (on 22 February 2017)
  • -18