According to CNN as of 4:30 PM on 2/10/2020 The Coronavirus outbreak in China is continuing to escalate with monitoring from the World Health Organization pending a full review. A number of global tech companies are beginning to pull out of global tech conferences including Sony, Amazon and LG. This may be a sign of things to come, as many of these global tech behemoths possess deep supply chains within the country of China. A lack of production certainly could come to affect the release of a number of highly anticipated tech products, including the release of the new Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch. This special edition product was slated to drop in march, however, according to Gamestop Employees, pre-orders have been halted early due to a lack of supply.
Special edition tech products such as the Animal Crossing Nintendo Switch have historically been a huge profit generator for the Japanese based tech company, as their line of IP’s and loyal fans are among what differentiate themselves from their competitors. Nintendo fans have eagerly been awaiting the release of the new game Animal Crossing : New Horizons, especially considering the last main title in the popular social sim game was released in 2012.
Nintendo Switch sales have been overall extremely positive within the last two years, however, according to Inside Gaming, the company failed to meet the lofty projected sales numbers expected by it’s shareholders. As a result, Nintendo is heavily leaning on the sales of the popular titles Pokemon Sword and Shield and Animal Crossing: New Horizons in order to match its goals for 2020. With the Coronavirus hitting the tech industry across the board, it is possible that we will see many companies besides Nintendo reach the expected production values, therefore threatening sales in turn.
Sources:
Tyler's ENG 397 Blog 