UK high street chain Game has apologised after it cancelled some pre-orders of the hotly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2.
Gamers have waited years for the Switch 2 – the successor to one of the best-selling consoles in history – with the new model being finally released to the public on 5 June.
But some of those who pre-ordered the Switch 2 through Game will now not be able to get their hands on it on its release date.
“We understand how disappointing this is, especially for those who have been eagerly awaiting their order,” Game wrote in a post on social media.
There has been a furious reaction from those affected, with one customer calling the situation “outrageous.”
Game did not give any reason why the pre-orders were cancelled. The BBC has approached it for comment.
In its social media post it says it is “currently working hard to reinstate as many affected pre-orders as possible.”
The Switch 2 has already attracted some controversy from fans who questioned the price of some of its games – with a boxed edition of Mario Kart World coming in at £74.99.
But this price appears not to have impacted the initial sales of the hardware, with most retailers now unable to take on new pre-orders so close to its launch.
Gamers who no longer have a pre-order may consider turning to the return of the midnight launch, which used to be part-and-parcel of game releases but has become far less common in recent years.
At least one retailer has held back some stock in the hope of getting people through its doors – with Smyths promising a “limited” number of consoles will be available in-store when doors open on launch day.
Fans scrambling to get their hands on new consoles has been a part of Nintendo’s history, for example with the Wii in 2006.
The original Switch ended up becoming the fastest-selling console in history in the US when in launched in 2017.
This is not just limited to Nintendo – its rival Sony’s PlayStation 5 proved to be such a hot ticket item that people joined virtual queues with thousands of others just to have the chance to buy one in 2020.
This trend continued throughout the first three years of the console’s life, with the supply chain issues that partly fuelled the demand only being resolved in 2023.
