ItNintendo’s Ring Fit Adventure has seen a surge of popularity and sales in China, indirectly due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. Due to the need to stay indoors to avoid the virus, people have not been able to exercise freely and some have bought Ring Fit Adventure as a substitute. This was followed by a surge in social media posts that showed Chinese gamers playing the title, leading to increased sales. [Thanks, SCMP!]
That said, Ring Fit Adventure isn’t actually available in China proper, as it hasn’t been sold for the Tencent Nintendo Switch. Tencent Nintendo Switches can play imported games, and that’s how players have been getting the game. Scalpers have taken note, and prices for the game have surged up to around 1,200 Chinese yuan (US$170), more than double the retail price in the US. It doesn’t help that Ring Fit Adventure has seen shortages elsewhere as well, such as in Japan itself.
In late January 2019, we also reported on Nintendo Switch production concerns due to the coronavirus. With Ring Fit Adventure requiring the Ring-Con and leg strap to play properly, it’s possible that this title will also be affected more than other games.
Ring Fit Adventure is available on the Nintendo Switch.