Ring Fit Adventure popularity shoots up in China due to coronavirus quarantines

This has led to stock shortages and price spikes elsewhere

Ring Fit Adventure has become increasingly popular in China, because people are unable to go out on daily runs or attend gym classes due to the coronavirus (via GamesIndustry.biz).
In China, the game is not officially distributed through conventional sellers. The copies of Ring Fit Adventure are therefore sourced from grey markets, as imports from Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, and North America. Most Chinese players are getting their game from resellers on eBay and Taobao. However, this is leading to knock-on effects elsewhere in the world.
A new report has found that Australian retailer EB Games has limited the number of Ring Fit Adventure copies customers in order to stem the stock shortages. People may only buy two copies in one transaction, and one store said that an entire shipment was sold out within five minutes of it going online. This limit has not necessarily stopped the resellers getting their hands on big shipments, as one customer apparently ordered at least seven copies simultaneously, and another person bought five games across different stores. Stock may not be replenished until the end of March, optimistically.
This tallies with the stories from Chinese manufacturers who claimed that the Nintendo Switch could be adversely affected by the coronavirus outbreak. A Vietnamese assembly partner is facing a short supply of Switch components coming from Chinese factories. Because this factory makes Switches destined for the U.S. market, ships leaving in this month or the next may not receive the expected unit quota. It seems that these shortages won’t only affect the U.S., if resellers are snapping up Nintendo software and hardware from other markets for Chinese customers.
In addition, the price of Ring Fit Adventure has surged in China. Usually, the game goes for 600 renminbi, or approximately $85 / £66. Now, it’s being listed at a price of 1,800 renminbi, which roughly equals $260 / £200.
Nintendo has said that it would “remain vigilant” regarding the status of Switch stock, but that there is no “major impact” on the western markets at the moment. “It’s possible the supply would be affected by the virus if it becomes more widespread and prolonged,” a representative concluded.

 

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