Nintendo sues over tariffs imposed since 2025, seeking refunds and citing illegal implementation. Learn how this impacts Switch pricing and global trade.
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Nintendo of America has filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Court of International Trade, challenging tariffs imposed since February 2025 under executive orders from President Donald Trump. The company is seeking a refund of duties paid with interest and reimbursement of legal costs. The suit argues these measures were illegally implemented under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The Supreme Court previously ruled that IEEPA does not grant the president authority to impose such tariffs and ordered U.S. Customs and Border Protection to return collected funds. However, the agency stated it cannot comply with this requirement. Nintendo has joined over a thousand companies also pursuing refunds. Plaintiffs estimate that more than $200 billion in import duties have been collected since February 2025.
The lawsuit references ten executive orders affecting goods from Canada, Mexico, China, Brazil, and India. Tariffs on Chinese products rapidly increased from 10% to 125% before being reduced to 34%. Nintendo manufactures consoles and accessories in China and Vietnam, so the new tariffs directly impacted its business.
The company already delayed Switch 2 preorders and raised accessory prices, later increasing the cost of the entire Switch lineup in the U.S. after a 20% tariff on Vietnamese goods took effect. Meanwhile, a new global 15% tariff remains subject to separate litigation, and the ongoing influence of trade policy on Nintendo's pricing remains an open question.