Nintendo Switch users in Japan can expect Nintendo Account servers to be down this upcoming Christmas weekend due to the expected influx of new and first-time Nintendo Switch owners, as more people receive Nintendo Switch consoles as gifts during the holidays. Likewise, Nintendo Switch users outside of Japan can expect a high probability that they will also be seeing servers down this weekend. Yesterday, Nintendo Japan’s customer service account made an announcement on Twitter regarding the status of Nintendo Account servers for this Christmas weekend. In the English translation provided by Twitter, the announcement states: “This weekend, access will be concentrated on the #Nintendo Account server, and it is expected that Nintendo Account will not be created immediately. If you are planning to use the Nintendo Switch family for the first time, we recommend that you create it in advance.”
Although this announcement was made for Nintendo Switch owners residing in Japan, this issue could also affect Nintendo Switch users globally this weekend. Coincidentally, this will not be the first time Nintendo Account servers have experienced a similar problem during the holidays. Nintendo Account servers also went down last year on Christmas Day, which prompted Nintendo America to release statement on Twitter after many Nintendo Account users reported the issue.
Although these server issues may appear inconvenient to current and new Nintendo Switch owners, it does not appear to be that unpredictable. Last year, Nintendo reported that 2020 was their most profitable year yet, where the Nintendo Switch sold 28.8 million consoles in 2020 alone. Nintendo can also expect an increase in console sales after the release of the Nintendo Switch OLED model in October of this year, which rightfully explains Nintendo’s early server warning.
If you are planning on purchasing games digitally during Nintendo’s holiday sales or you are a new user who wants to make a Nintendo Account, you should prepare to do so before servers become concentrated and eventually go down during Christmas weekend.