Nintendo is being sued by two individuals who filed a class action lawsuit against the gaming giant, with the plaintiffs stating that Nintendo could unjustly benefit from tariff refunds it may receive from the US government. The lawsuit claimed that Nintendo should pass on any tariff refunds it receives to consumers, and cited the price increases that Switch 2 accessories received before the console’s launch.
The lawsuit came two months after the US Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s tariffs on various global goods imported from countries like China and Vietnam. These nations are among the countries where Nintendo and other companies conduct manufacturing. In a 6-3 verdict handed down on February 20, the US Supreme Court stated that the tariffs were unconstitutional. The Supreme Court stated that US President Donald Trump lacked the jurisdiction to enforce tariffs. As of this writing, over $160 billion in tariff refunds can now be claimed by affected businesses.
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Nintendo Is Now Facing a Class Action Lawsuit
Although tariff refunds are underway, a lawsuit filed by two individuals seeks to force Nintendo to pass the refunds back to consumers. A class action lawsuit was filed by Gregory Hoffert of California and Prashant Sharan of Washington with the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, which serves the area where Nintendo of America’s headquarters is located. The lawsuit states that, since the prices of Switch 2 accessories were increased due to the Trump administration’s tariffs, Nintendo stood to gain unjustly from any tariff refunds that it could receive from the US government. The suit is seeking to represent all in the US who purchased Nintendo products affected by the tariffs, particularly on goods bought between February 1, 2025, and February 24, 2026.
The case against Nintendo is similar to those that other individuals have filed against companies like FedEx and UPS, all of which are asking for tariff refunds to be passed on to affected consumers. While the Switch 2’s pre-order window was delayed in the US by a few weeks due to the Trump administration’s tariffs, Nintendo opted to increase the prices of the Switch 2 Pro Controller and other accessories to compensate.
The Switch 2 Price Situation Remains in Flux
Although the Switch 2 console is currently priced at $449, another factor unrelated to the tariff refund situation could still force Nintendo to adjust its prices. The ongoing DRAM shortage crisis has caused the costs of essential components to skyrocket, with Sony and Microsoft already hiking up the prices of their consoles. Although Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa has stated that Nintendo is monitoring the impact of the RAM crisis closely, he also did not rule out the possibility of a Switch 2 price increase down the line.
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The class action lawsuit came as Nintendo filed a lawsuit against the US government to demand tariff refunds. Nintendo’s lawsuit against the US government has since been paused due to the US government setting up a tariff refund system for businesses to apply for. It remains to be seen how Nintendo and its customers will be affected by the tariff refunds.
Source: Game File
