Monday, April 7, 2025
Image: Evan-Amos.
On Friday, Japanese video game manufacturer Nintendo announced that it would not be allowing preorders for its new console the Switch 2 on that day as had been previously intended. The company said it was due to the announcements of tariffs on exports from Japan into the US.
Nintendo officials imparted in a statement that the purpose of the decision was “to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.” The release of the Switch 2 was still slated for June 5 in spite of the tariffs. Nintendo affirmed that the decision only applies to the US market, and existing pre-orders for UK customers would remain unaffected.
The console was unveiled to the public on Wednesday, merely hours before US president Donald Trump announced a wave of global tariffs.
While Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba characterized the situation as a “national crisis,” the Trump administration defended the tariffs as a measure to improve the US economy and nurture job creation.
The decision was described as “unprecedented” by Wesley Yin-Poole of IGN.
Sources
[edit]
- Tom Gerken. “Nintendo pulls Switch 2 pre-orders in US over Trump tariffs” — BBC, April 4, 2025
- Wesley Yin-Poole. “Nintendo Delays Switch 2 Pre-Order Date in the U.S. to Assess Impact of Trump’s Tariffs” — IGN, April 4, 2025
