It’s probably a lot of money – and Nintendo wants that back from the US government.
Nintendo of America has filed a lawsuit against the United States government. The reason for this is the tariffs introduced by Donald Trump on imported goods, which have now been declared unlawful by the US Supreme Court. Nintendo is therefore demanding a full refund of the taxes paid including interest.
Nintendo is suing over US tariffs
According to Aftermath, the lawsuit was filed with the US Court of International Trade and targets several departments, including the Department of Treasury and Homeland Security. Nintendo specifically calls the tariffs “unlawful” and demands reimbursement, although no exact amount is given. The switch maker isn’t the only one going this route. Over 1,000 other companies, including household names like Costco and FedEx, have also sued (source: Aftermath).
In a statement to IGN, Nintendo confirmed that they had submitted a corresponding request. Apart from that, the company does not want to comment on the lawsuit (source: IGN).
Bad timing with Switch 2 pre-orders
Trump’s tariffs have hit Nintendo particularly hard. After all, the company wanted to bring its new console, the Switch 2, onto the market in 2025. As a result, Nintendo has postponed pre-orders in the USA. Console accessories such as the new Pro Controller have also increased in price. However, the Switch 2 itself did not become more expensive.
Nintendo has previously relocated part of its production from China to Vietnam. At the launch of the Switch 2, consoles manufactured in Vietnam were primarily brought onto the US market because Trump had introduced particularly high tariffs for China.
According to Aftermath, a judge in the US has already ruled that companies have a right to refunds. It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will actually receive the money from the US government. In both cases, however, customers are unlikely to benefit from it.