Over 5000 People Lined Up To Win A Chance Of Buying A Switch In Japan
It seems the crazy demand for Nintendo Switch hasn’t lowered at all in Japan. Despite the huge amount of replenishments flooding Japanese retailers in the past two weeks, the record for the longest line to purchase a Switch has been broken.
Previously it was 3000 – now it’s 5000.
In Japan, due to the extraordinary demand of the Switch, retailers such as Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera tend to hold lotteries on weekends. Customers queue up to receive a number, and pray that their number is lucky enough to give them the chance of buying the prized system.
On Saturday, around 5000 people were found lining up outside Bic Camera Ikebukuro in Tokyo.
ビックカメラ池袋のSwitch抽選の並びが想像を超えてた…5000人くらいいるんじゃないか pic.twitter.com/JFYkcW4jCC
— ゆち@Tokyo (@yucchi190) August 5, 2017
It’s probably very hard to tell from the photo the extend of the queue, so a passerby has drawn it on a map.
https://twitter.com/ParmSuke/status/893965739316486144
It wasn’t only happening in Tokyo, either. Around 5000 people in Kawasaki were lining up for the Switch lottery on Sunday morning.
任天堂スswitch行列
in川崎ラゾーナ5000人いる模様です#任天堂SWITCH #川崎ラゾーナ pic.twitter.com/lExd72Nk3z
— ショコラスタイル応援隊 (@thomasbousou) August 5, 2017
In another location, around 5000 people were queuing for a Switch lottery organized by Bic Camera.
今日の朝活。
スイッチの行列(約5000人?) pic.twitter.com/xtb5j7oOkN— ずき (@zkzk__03) August 5, 2017
On Sunday, things have slightly cooled down, as 3000 people returned to queue outside Bic Camera Ikebukuro. Out of the 3000, only 10% returned home with a Nintendo Switch.
8月6日(日) #ニンテンドースイッチ(スプラトゥーン2同梱版)抽選結果発表!(1/2)
当選された方は 抽選バンドを破いたり外したりせず5Fまでお越しください。
ご購入有効期限は本日8月6日の営業時間内とさせていただきます。 pic.twitter.com/qVg1TYuMDx— ビックカメラ池袋本店【公式】 (@bicikebukuro) August 6, 2017
With the high amount of interest surrounding the Nintendo Switch in Japan, we wonder how much longer the lines would become in the next few weeks, especially after Monster Hunter XX Nintendo Switch Ver. releases on August 25th.