Nintendo Is Suing the United States Government

Guys, it’s literally just March. In what is by far the wildest Mario Day announcement so far, the Big N is, in fact, Big Mad over the implementation of tariffs on imports to the United States market and actively suing the United States Government for tariff-related expenses. This follows the Supreme Court striking down the legality of the tariffs to begin with for misuse of the International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA), and follows along with other companies making similar suits Fedex and Costco. Nintendo is notorious for its litigation, and its relationship with tariffs has been problematic since before their implementation.

“This Complaint focuses on Defendants’ unlawful imposition of tariffs (“IEEPA
Duties”) founded on President Trump’s executive orders invoking the International Emergency
Economic Powers Act of 1977, 50 U.S.C. § 1701 et seq., (“IEEPA”) to justify same“

“Plaintiff requests that this Court follow the binding precedent set in V.O.S.
Selections and Learning Resources and enter an order refunding any and all IEEPA Duties
collected from Plaintiff, plus interest, regardless of liquidation status.“

Tariffs and Nintendo

In early 2025, the Switch 2 was announced with an array of accessories and hardware. Before this, the world already knew the administration’s intent to enforce tariffs on major trade partners, so the company moved manufacturing of US consoles to Vietnam. Upon the tariffs being announced, the preorder date was canceled in the US with no promise of a final price.

Shortly after the trade deal with Vietnam was settled (and at a 15-20% tariff), Nintendo announced a new preorder date with an unchanged price. That being said, the price of accessories, amiibo, and the Switch 1 series of consoles saw a price hike to absorb the massive tariff put on Chinese imports. 1 year and a trade war later, Nintendo wants a refund (with interest apparently).

This also coincides with the government’s use of Pokémon assets (along with Halo, Lord of the Rings, etc.) for politically charged advertisements (I think there’s a word for that), but the timing is coincidental, and nothing is currently happening as a result of that.

What Could Happen?

Scenario A: Nintendo loses the lawsuit, and we continue to pay higher prices to subsidize their import fees.

Scenario B: Nintendo wins and gets refunded their import duties, and we continue to pay higher prices to subsidize their import fees.

Let’s face it, the paying consumer won’t benefit from this unless tariffs are dropped altogether and Nintendo finds it in its heart to drop its prices.