Nintendo Sues Accessories Company For Sharing Switch 2 'Mockup' Months Before Official Reveal

Nintendo is suing accessory steadfast Genki for trademark infringement aft it shared renders of a Nintendo Switch 2 "mockup" months earlier Nintendo revealed authoritative images of its caller console.

Cast your caput backmost a mates of months, and you whitethorn retrieve that Genki — the accessories shaper astatine the bosom of the Switch 2 mockup furore coming retired of CES 2025 successful January — was reportedly visited by Nintendo’s lawyers. At the time, however, Genki told the property it did not motion a non-disclosure statement (NDA) with Nintendo, and truthful had "nothing to interest about."

Genki told visitors the Switch 2 mockup, debuting 3 months up of Nintendo's ceremonial unveiling, was allegedly based connected a existent Switch 2 strategy that Genki had seen and utilized arsenic the ground for its accessories.

In tribunal papers seen by IGN, Nintendo is present suing the company, accusing Genki of "embarking upon a strategical run intended to capitalize connected the nationalist involvement surrounding Nintendo's next-generation console," suing for trademark infringement, unfair competition, and mendacious advertising.

Nintendo asserted Genki "boasted its alleged aboriginal entree to the unreleased console and allowed guests to clasp and measurement the mockups," adding that arsenic Genki’s claims of compatibility "would beryllium intolerable to warrant without unauthorized, amerciable aboriginal entree to the Nintendo Switch 2... Genki has misled and is misleading the nationalist arsenic to its quality to warrant the compatibility of its products with the Nintendo Switch 2."

"In January 2025, [Genki] began advertizing that it gained unauthorised entree to Nintendo's upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console, which had not yet been released oregon adjacent revealed publically by Nintendo," the tribunal papers said.

"Following its archetypal claims of entree to a genuine Nintendo Switch 2 console, Defendant's statements were contradictory and inconsistent, with Defendant aboriginal stating that it was ne'er successful possession of a console. Nevertheless, Defendant has since maintained its practice to consumers that its accessories volition beryllium compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 upon the console's release."

The Japanese megacorp besides alleged Genki of infringing its trademarks successful its advertizing and "in nonstop contention with Nintendo's and its licensee's morganatic selling of authorized accessories."

Nintendo besides took umbrage with a tweet from Genki connected January 20, which showed CEO Edward Tsai with a digit to his lips and the caption: "Genki ninjas infiltrate Nintendo Kyoto HQ" and a pop-up connected the Genki website that read: "Can you support a secret? We can’t..."

In recompense, Nintendo seeks to prohibit Genki from utilizing its trademarked "Nintendo Switch" sanction successful its selling materials, destruct immoderate products oregon selling that references Nintendo's branding, and retrieve unspecified "damages it has sustained arsenic a effect of Defendant's infringement, unfair competition, and mendacious advertising, and that said damages beryllium trebled."

Over the weekend, Genki posted a effect connected societal media stating: "You whitethorn person seen that Nintendo precocious filed a suit against us. We’re taking it earnestly and moving with ineligible counsel to respond thoughtfully.

"What we tin accidental is this: Genki has ever been an autarkic institution focused connected gathering innovative gaming accessories for the assemblage we love. We’re arrogant of the enactment we’ve done, and we basal by the prime and originality of our products. While we can’t remark successful detail, we’re continuing preparations to fulfill orders and showcase our newest products astatine PAX East this week."

The connection closed connected thanking radical "for the overwhelming enactment [it has] received truthful far." "We’ll stock much erstwhile we can, but for now, we’re staying focused connected doing what we bash best: gathering cogwheel for gamers," it concluded.

Nintendo Switch 2 is acceptable to debut connected June 5. Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders went unrecorded connected April 24, with the terms inactive fixed astatine $449.99 — and they went astir arsenic good arsenic you'd expect. Meanwhile, Nintendo has issued a informing to U.S. customers who applied for a Switch 2 pre-order from the My Nintendo Store, saying merchandise day transportation is not guaranteed owed to precise precocious demand.

Check retired IGN's Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order usher for more.

Vikki Blake is simply a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.