Nintendo’s president Shuntaro Furukawa has apologized in advance for the company’s failure to meet demand for the Switch 2 in Japan after 2.2 million people applied for the My Nintendo Store pre-order lottery alone.In a post on X (translated by VGC), Furukawa said that this “astonishing” number “far exceeded our prior expectations and greatly surpasses the number of Nintendo Switch 2 units we can deliver from the My Nintendo Store on June 5.” As a result, “a significant number” of customers would miss out, he said.“We deeply apologize for failing to meet your expectations despite our preparations,” Furukawa said. He added that unselected applicants would be carried over automatically to a second lottery, but cautioned that there would still not be enough Switch 2 units in this second batch to meet initial demand. He also noted that other Japanese retailers would open pre-orders soon, and promised to increase production after launch.“In response to this demand, we are currently taking steps to further strengthen our production system,” Furukawa said. “We are planning to produce and ship a substantial number of Nintendo Switch 2 units moving forward. We sincerely apologize for the time it will take to fully meet your expectations and kindly ask for your understanding.”With Switch 2 pre-orders due to open in the U.S. on Thursday, April 24, Furukawa’s statement to Japanese fans comes as a stark warning (or humblebrag, perhaps) of how high demand for the new console is, and how difficult these pre-orders may be to secure. However, it’s also worth noting that, at 49,980 yen (approximately $343), the Japan-only edition of the Switch 2 is more attractively priced than the $449.99 U.S. “multi-language” version.Ahead of the announcement of the Switch 2, Nikkei reported that Nintendo had delayed the release of the system in part to secure enough stock to ensure a smooth launch. After the announcement, Furukawa promised that Nintendo was “taking all possible measures” to combat “scalpers and the like.” And in his statement on Wednesday, Furukawa once again underlined that “to deliver Nintendo Switch 2 to all of you, we have been procuring a large number of components in advance and proceeding with production.”But Nintendo has now been forced to admit that these efforts have fallen short in the face of intense demand for the new console. If Japan’s Nintendo Store pre-orders are anything to go by, it will be a lucky few fans who get their hands on a Switch 2 on June 5.See More: