Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary-themed Switch 2 hit store shelves this week, but reports suggest delays in some pre-orders and in-store availability, with varying restock progress across different retail channels. The gold-themed console officially launched on October 29, yet not all players with pre-orders were able to secure their units on launch day, with issues being particularly concentrated at retailers Walmart and Target.
Aggregated user feedback indicates that some consumers who pre-ordered the console through Target reportedly received notifications that their orders might not arrive until mid-November. Several Target customers reported that their pre-orders had not shipped, were delayed until November, or were even canceled outright, with Target offering no explanation for these issues. Meanwhile, some Walmart customers also received pre-order cancellation notices the day before launch, with customer service citing oversold inventory and an inability to quickly rectify the situation.
Walmart has also been cited for supply chain delays, preventing some stores from selling the themed console as planned and pushing sales to next month. An internal notice allegedly from Walmart shows that stores affected by supply chain issues have had sales locks imposed, lasting at least until November 6, with employees instructed not to bypass the restrictions; existing pre-orders will not be canceled and will be fulfilled on a priority basis once stock arrives. However, this notice only applies to select stores, not all Walmart locations, and neither Nintendo nor Walmart has officially confirmed the delay.
In a broader context, Bill van Zyll, Nintendo of America's Vice President, previously admitted in an interview that the company "underestimated" demand for this commemorative console, apologizing for the global shortage and stating that restocking is underway, though no specific timeline was provided. This supply constraint is not an isolated incident; multiple items from The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary series sold out rapidly during the pre-order phase, indicating that retailers' fulfillment capabilities on launch day clearly failed to keep pace with the scale of demand.