Nintendo Warns Official Lottery Participants May Not Get Switch 2 At Launch After 2.2 Million Japanese Registrants

Did you sit in a digital line for the Nintendo Switch 2 last night, or did you register for the official Switch 2 launch system? If you directly inquired from Nintendo, then there’s a serious chance you may be left waiting, as there are, quite literally, millions holding out for theirs, too. 

For at least Japan’s consumer base, we have a better idea of how popular the Switch 2 already is, as the Japanese social media accounts for Nintendo get a little bit more into specifics. A post made yesterday (via Twitter/X’s Google Translate) explains that the pre-order lottery in Japan alone far exceeded their expectations. 

It turns out that 2.2 million hopeful Switch 2 owners registered for the lottery. We don’t have a number for western countries right now, but we can imagine given America’s population is more than double Japan’s, and Nintendo has a chokehold on all-ages American gaming, it’s quite hefty. 

Those in Japan who weren’t picked this time will be put into the next, though even that may not account for everyone. A similar message was conveyed on the western Nintendo page about pre-orders, explaining that “[y]our invitation email may arrive after the Nintendo Switch 2 launch. 

Nintendo’s social media post explains that they will be strengthening the production pipeline—but both here and on the official website, they recommended buying directly from retailers, which is what many attempted to do at midnight. That said, every retailer is pretty much sold out of launch-day consoles, and based on what’s been said, it may be iffy whether those come in at the necessary scale, too. 

Are you part of the Switch 2 launch rush? Did you get yours already—or are you holding out? Our own Editor In Chief sadly couldn’t grab his, but he did get hands-on for the announcement drop and thinks quite highly, so that’s neat.