For Nintendo's Switch 2, Trump tariffs could be an unbeatable final boss

Jonathan Ore · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 07, 2025 11:46 AM EDT | Last Updated: 34 minutes ago

Last week, Nintendo kept the hype bid going connected its upcoming caller gaming strategy the Switch 2, with a bid of livestreams showing disconnected the caller device along with highly anticipated upcoming games similar Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.

Gamers, however, had thing other successful mind. The unrecorded chat alongside the YouTube livestream was flooded with radical posting "DROP THE PRICE" and akin pleas for hours connected end.

The caller system's $449 US terms tag — $629 successful Canada — is proving to beryllium a pugnacious pill to swallow. The archetypal Switch launched successful 2017 at $299 US ($399 Cdn).

Adding to the worries were Nintendo's U.S. tract listing Mario Kart World astatine $80 US, which is $10 higher than mean for existent flagship games. The Canadian Nintendo store doesn't presently database the manufacturer's suggested retail terms (MRSP), but a consecutive conversion would enactment it astatine $110 Cdn oregon more.

Then connected Friday — 2 days aft the Switch 2 showcase — different bombshell: Nintendo paused pre-orders for the console successful the U.S., "in bid to measure the imaginable interaction of tariffs and evolving marketplace conditions," according to a property release.

"Nintendo volition update timing astatine a aboriginal date. The motorboat day of June 5, 2025 is unchanged," the connection continued. 

While it did not notation U.S. President Donald Trump by name, the usage of the connection "tariff" unsocial is simply a stark departure from the Japanese gaming company's penchant to steer acold wide of existent events oregon authorities successful its products oregon messaging.

Industry analysts and advocates person expressed interest the unpredictable tariff concern could pb to terms increases crossed the board, making the Switch 2 — and gaming successful general — less accessible amid a wider affordability crunch.

The pre-order intermission appears to lone impact the U.S. right now. A typical from Nintendo of Canada confirmed to CBC that pre-orders successful this state are inactive acceptable to statesman connected April 9.

Switch 2 terms 'appropriate,' says Nintendo America boss

Nintendo hasn't yet commented connected the antagonistic absorption to the Switch 2's price. During a media roundtable Q&A with the Switch 2's hardware architects past Wednesday, a moderator rapidly deflected a question astir the price, saying the sheet was determination to reply questions astir "the amusive stuff" instead.

Nintendo of America's president Doug Bowser (no narration to Mario's nemesis) was somewhat much forthcoming that day.

"As we look astatine Nintendo Switch 2 and you deliberation astir the diagnostic sets that I talked astir ... we judge that the pricing is due for the worth of the instrumentality and the gameplay acquisition overall," helium said.

Bowser, who spoke with CBC anterior to the U.S. pre-order pause, noted that the erstwhile procreation of Switch devices volition inactive beryllium supported, including with a enactment of caller games coming retired aboriginal this year.

"We admit determination are immoderate radical that whitethorn not beryllium capable to spend [the Switch 2's] terms point. That's wherefore we wanted to marque the different Switch platforms available, truthful [people] inactive person an accidental to travel into our gaming universe, beryllium a portion of these characters successful these worlds, and spot value, if you will, successful immoderate rung of the level they travel in."

Bowser wouldn't stock people numbers, but helium said Nintendo believes the Switch 2 tin beryllium arsenic palmy arsenic its contiguous predecessor. That's a precocious bar, arsenic the archetypal Switch has sold much than 150 cardinal units worldwide, making it the third-best-selling games console of each time.

"Sure, determination are extenuating extracurricular circumstances that could impact positively oregon negatively. And we can't needfully power those. What we tin power is that we deliberation we've got a instrumentality that is going to bring much developers onto the platform, that we tin thin into arsenic a developer ourselves oregon a steadfast ourselves. And arsenic a result, bring a batch of smiles to people's faces," helium said.

About those 'outside circumstances'

Speaking earlier the pre-orders pause, analysts told gamesindustry.biz they believed the precocious terms was apt acceptable successful anticipation of Trump's global tariffs announcement.

"The higher outgo of the console successful the U.S. compared to Japan is apt a calculated determination connected Nintendo's part, driven by tariff impacts, the anemic Japanese yen and section marketplace conditions," said Daniel Ahmad, manager of probe and insights for Niko Partners.

"The reciprocal tariffs connected Vietnam and Japan person travel successful higher than expected, and Nintendo volition consciousness the interaction of this if the tariffs spell into afloat effect."

Nintendo moved immoderate of its Switch 2 accumulation from China to Vietnam to partially debar the effects of U.S. tariffs. But Trump's 46 per cent tariff connected Vietnam came successful higher than marketplace observers predicted, and whitethorn person erased the benefits of the determination entirely.

WATCH | Will the Switch 2 beryllium worthy the precocious terms tag?: 

A spokesperson for the U.S.-based Entertainment Software Association told the gaming tract IGN they expect Trump's tariffs to person large effects connected the full games manufacture and beyond, though it was "unfortunate and coincidental timing" that Nintendo's Switch 2 uncover came connected Trump's "Liberation Day" of tariff announcements.

Paul Fogolin, president of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, told CBC News that "global tariffs announced by the Trump medication earlier this week volition person a existent and detrimental interaction connected our manufacture and the millions of Canadians who emotion to play games."

Fogolin noted that, overmuch similar different user goods, gaming consoles and different user electronics radical usage to play games are built with parts from aggregate countries and could walk respective borders that extremity up affected by tariffs during construction.

WATCH | Switch 2 promises bigger, amended — and pricier: 

"The manufacture relies connected affordable consoles, due to the fact that the extremity is to supply players with the latest exertion to play the latest games, truthful we expect tariffs causing a ripple effect that volition interaction players and companies crossed the full ecosystem," said Fogolin.

Nintendo finds itself successful a choky spot not wholly of its ain making. Competitors similar Microsoft and Sony are nary uncertainty intimately watching the tariff concern and however it whitethorn impact aboriginal hardware releases of their own.

For gamers of each ages jonesing for the adjacent deed of Mario Kart oregon Metroid, the Switch 2 question whitethorn not be, "Is it worthy it?" but alternatively simply, "Can I spend it?"