It looks like Nintendo is doing what it can to prevent the current retail shortage of Nintendo Switch hardware from persisting into the future. The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that "people briefed on [Nintendo's] plans" say the company is doubling its expected Switch production from 8 million units to 16 million units for the fiscal year running from April through March of 2018.

To put that number in some context, Nintendo only sold 13.5 million Wii U units in that console's entire four-year run on the market. The original Wii, meanwhile, shipped roughly 17 million units in its first full calendar year on the shelves (following a holiday-season launch), amid massive long-term retail shortages and on the way to selling over 100 million units over its lifespan. The PS4 sold just over 14 million consoles worldwide in 2014, after selling about 4 million units during its 2013 holiday launch.

The news follows reports of strong initial interest in the Switch worldwide following its March 3 debut, with one report estimating 1.5 million units sold in the system's first week. Nintendo previously said it planned to ship 2 million units by the end of March, though some industry watchers expect that number may now be lower than reality.

The news of increased production may come as a shock to some analysts. SuperData predicted just before launch that the Switch would sell just 5 million units through the end of 2017, and IHS predicted 4.4 million sales for the year. Shares in Nintendo jumped nearly three percent in less than an hour in Japanese trading immediately following the WSJ report, to ¥25,580 per share, showing market excitement over Nintendo's increased faith in its hardware business.

But the increased production comes with some risk attached as well. If demand for the Switch dips after the initial launch excitement, Nintendo will be stuck storing a lot of hard-to-sell hardware that it paid a premium to produce as quickly as possible.

A lot depends on how the Switch's software lineup shakes out in the coming year. While The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is also available on the Wii U, the critically lauded game seems to be acting as a major system-seller for the moment, selling to 89 percent of all Switch owners so far, according to one estimate.

That game may have to serve as the platform's marquee title for a while, as the upcoming months of Switch software are currently dominated by a bevy of indie games Wii U follow-ups likeand, and motion-controlled brawler Arms. By the end of the year, though, Nintendo has plans to release Super Mario Odyssey , which could lead to renewed hardware interest from families and nostalgic franchise fans alike as the holiday sales season heats up.

Of course, with the media glare of E3 coming in just a few months, Nintendo could have some additional post-launch Switch software announcements in the pipeline. And if the system can actually sell anything close to 16 million units in a year, it might force renewed interest from third-party publishers that are currently showing tepid-to-mixed support for the platform. In any case, Nintendo seems to be betting on Switch being a big success.