Chapter 398: Sold Out (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

As time advanced, Children's Day quickly arrived.

In a room in Modu, Zhang Yi and Wang Han sat in front of their computers.

They were constantly refreshing Nebula Games' official website.

“I wonder how much stock there is in the first batch,” Zhang Yi said, refreshing Nebula Games' official website.

“Who knows?” Wang Han replied. “But regardless of how much there is, we'll try to get it first.”

Nebula Games had not publicly announced how much Switch stock there would be.

However, for them, who had been eagerly anticipating it for a long time, naturally, they were ready to snatch it up immediately.

Especially Super Mario Odyssey and Animal Forest, both were exclusive games only playable on the Switch.

If they hadn't experienced them before, it might have been fine.

But the key was that they had both truly felt how fun these two games were at the previous gameplay Expo.

These two games didn't seem as stunning and breathtaking as Red Dead Redemption.

But once you actually started playing them, they were incredibly fun.

If they couldn't get it at launch, it would be really frustrating.

And honestly, the Switch's price wasn't just not expensive; it was downright cheap.

It was just the related specifications that made people feel a bit despairing.

At the gameplay Expo, Zhang Yi certainly hadn't expected the Switch's specifications to be so low.

After all, both Super Mario Odyssey and Animal Forest performed quite well.

“Hurry up, one minute left!”

“I'm already refreshing frantically, but now the methods to prevent scalpers are getting stronger and stronger, unlike before when you couldn't get a phone or device no matter what you did.”

Zhang Yi and Wang Han watched the time, constantly refreshing the webpage interface while chatting.

The moment the clock struck, both immediately clicked the payment interface, ready to pay.

“No way! How is it sold out? That shouldn't be! Nebula Games' official website uses the latest detection tools!” As someone who frequently shopped online, Wang Han stared at the screen, utterly stunned.

One second, and it's already sold out? What the heck!

“Hehe! I got one!” Zhang Yi chuckled beside her.

His hand speed, are you kidding?

“You got one? I'll ask Old Song and the others if they did.” Wang Han couldn't help but feel frustrated. Although they were together, the key was that the game could only be played by one person!

Although Super Mario Odyssey had a two-player mode they could experience together, Animal Forest didn't. She had already learned about its two-player mode before; the other person was completely a follower/worker.

Soon, Song Ren, Joey, and Wang Yifan all connected to the chat group.

After chatting, it turned out that besides Old Song, who had directly opted to queue up at an offline channel to buy one, Joey and Wang Yifan hadn't managed to get one either.

“What's going on? Is the stock too low?”

“Yeah, it was out of stock in one second.”

Everyone was very frustrated.

…………

Many other players had similar experiences.

Previously, the Switch's promotion, while not massive, wasn't small either.

At least some players who liked games, especially those who liked Nebula Games, had already paid attention to the Switch handheld console early on.

But now?

Damn it, there was no stock at all!

On major forums and Tieba, countless players began to get agitated.

“What the heck? Is Nebula Games doing Scarcity Marketing, or did scalpers get to it? I just refreshed the page and it was out of stock!”

“Out of stock +1! I had already entered the payment interface, but my payment speed wasn't as fast as others, I cried!”

“How much stock did Nebula Games prepare?! Forget the console, even the controllers and game cartridges are sold out.”

“Let me see… Holy cow, it's true! What the heck, even the converters are sold out!”

“Any bros from big cities? Are there any in offline game stores?”

“What confidence, I'm disgusted. I queued all day, and it ran out just as it was my turn. According to the staff at the game store, the next shipment will be next week, and each person can only pre-order one.”

Facing the players' uproar, Chen Xu responded at this time, also reposting the official Weibo account's message.

‘To answer everyone's questions, first, it's not Scarcity Marketing; the stock is genuinely sold out.’

‘The Switch's initial stock was 500,000 consoles, 200,000 pairs of Joy-Cons, and 50,000 converters.’

‘There were 300,000 physical game cartridges each for Animal Forest and Super Mario Odyssey.’

‘However, everything is now sold out. But please rest assured, a new batch of consoles, peripherals, and cartridges is already in emergency production and will be available on major e-commerce platforms next week.’

Seeing Chen Xu's official Weibo post, countless players were dumbfounded.

It's really out of stock?

That fast!

In Nebula Games' lounge, a group of people were playing various games on the Switch.

Super Mario Odyssey, Overcooked, and It Takes Two.

“Mr. Chen, how much stock do we have for the next batch of Switches? The online players seem to be on the verge of rioting!” Meng Zuo, leaning on the sofa, also looked surprised.

Like many game designers in the industry, he had never imagined that the Switch could be such a success.

500,000 units shipped on the first day, completely sold out.

Absolutely terrifying!

“It actually exceeded my expectations as well. For the next batch… well, only 150,000 units. However, Yan Xiong has already contacted contract manufacturing partners, so there will definitely be a shortage in June, but it should get much better by July,” Chen Xu said with a smile.

Although players were complaining a lot that night, it also proved that the Switch was indeed selling very well.

Actually, Chen Xu initially thought that 500,000 units could last for two or three days.

After all, the Switch's immense popularity in his previous life was mainly due to Nintendo's years of operation, and its launch titles also had a deep historical background.

Furthermore, considering that in the Parallel World, while the Switch had unique attributes, there wasn't much sentiment for its IP, and handheld consoles weren't mainstream.

Chen Xu thought 500,000 units would be enough, but now it seemed he had underestimated it a bit.

Nebula Games' excellent reputation over the years, coupled with the allure of new games at the gameplay Expo, directly led to the current situation.

“And it's not just domestically; overseas players are quite restless too,” Meng Zuo said with a smile, pulling out his phone to show him.

Major game media websites also reported on it.

Specifically, regarding Nebula Games' new Switch console, many overseas players were also making various petitions under the official Weibo account, urging for its release in their respective markets.

Many wealthy individuals even expressed willingness to pay five or six times the price to acquire a Switch.

As for their goal, it was naturally to experience Nebula Games' titles on this new console.

Moreover, the Switch's unique queuing appeal also attracted many overseas players.

“There's a plan for overseas as well, but initial supply will definitely prioritize the domestic market,” Chen Xu said, shaking his head with a smile.

Naturally, Chen Xu wasn't unprepared for the overseas market either.

However, overseas consoles were different from domestic ones.

They required various inspections, and the same applied to games on the overseas Switch version.

Another crucial reason was that, unlike games on digital platforms.

For overseas Switch sales, e-commerce and offline channels also needed to be negotiated.

If they truly wanted to launch fully overseas, it would take at least two months.

After all, the large initial stock was definitely provided for domestic players.

So, during this period, let the overseas players get a whiff of the pie first.

After patiently waiting for two months, they would get to enjoy the fragrant, warm pie.

(End of Chapter) <>