How Nintendo's tariff hike ended with angry gamers and a lawsuit
Nintendo is suing the US government to recover tariff payments made during the Trump administration, following a court ruling that deemed those specific tariffs illegal. The company had previously passed these costs onto consumers, leading to price hikes for the Nintendo Switch.
Why it matters
The case highlights the economic impact of trade policy on consumer electronics and the legal mechanisms businesses use to recoup losses from overturned government regulations.
Nintendo customers in the US are suing the company over tariff price hikes. But how did we get here? ( Reuters: Isabel Infantes )
Link copied Share Share article As Donald Trump's tariffs flung the global economy into chaos, US gamers saw the price of a Nintendo Switch inflate by $US40 (about $A57) virtually overnight.
Now, the Japanese company could be on the receiving end of a massive payday from the US government over those "illegal" tariffs.
Well, as Nintendo argues in a new lawsuit, they got "exactly what they bargained and paid for".
Prices for a Nintendo Switch rose by $US40 due to tariffs. ( Reuters: Issei Kato )
In 2025, the Trump administration ushered in a new economic vision: "reciprocal" tariffs on dozens of its trading partners.
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