This article was updated by Andrea Trama on 7 March 2026 with reactions to social media reports. It was first published on March 6.
March 6 Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against the United States government over the Trump administration's tariffs on goods from various countries the gaming giant does business with, including China and Mexico. Nintendo said that since the Supreme Court overturned Trump's tariffs, it has been suing to get any refunds the government owed “with interest,” according to the court's ruling.
After US President Donald Trump returns to office in 2025, the US government has imposed tariffs on goods originating from various countries. The cost of the selected tariffs was therefore passed on to consumers across the country. As of April 2025, the US government's tariff on China was up to 145%, leading to an across-the-board increase in the prices of food, electronics and other goods. The Trump administration cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 as justification for the tariffs. As a result, Nintendo raised the prices of Switch 2 controllers and accessories, although the Switch 2 console still maintained its starting MSRP of $449.
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Nintendo is suing the US government over Trump's tariffs
After the US Supreme Court struck down most of the Trump administration's tariffs in a 6-3 decision on February 20, Trump issued a blanket 10% global tariff via executive order that will last for a maximum of 150 days. Now, Nintendo has taken the initiative to recover the tariffs it paid before the Supreme Court ruling. According to the lawsuit filed in the US Court of International Trade, Nintendo named members of the Trump administration, including secretaries Scott Bessent, Kristi Noem, Rodney Scott, Jameison Greer and Howard Lutnick, as the main defendants. The suit said Nintendo wants to seek any refunds “with interest” on customs fees that have been paid since February 2025.
Although the amount of the refund was not disclosed in the lawsuit, Nintendo said it “suffered harm from the IEEPA obligations” and that any decision against the company would result in “immediate and irreparable harm” to Nintendo's bottom line. Nintendo said the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have taken more than $200 billion in imports worldwide. According to Reuters, US Customs and Border Protection said it will have a refund system active within the next 45 days.
While Nintendo's legal team is better known for fighting piracy, the gaming giant's latest lawsuit is in line with those previously filed against the Trump administration. According to a Feb. 24 AP report, more than 1,000 global companies, such as FedEx and Costco, are suing the Trump administration for refunds of tariffs paid starting in February 2025. How each lawsuit will be handled remains to be seen.
How people are reacting to Nintendo's lawsuit against the US government
While the topic is serious and addresses numerous lawsuits against the US government's tariffs, the internet has mostly responded with memes and jokes. Twitter user @KinguGaiden couldn't help but notice the timing of the message, having used the White House's official account just a day earlier Pokemon Pokopia for MAGA propaganda.
Another user named @SelenaAnaRg shared a Megamind meme about Nintendo's legal team not being “the bad guy” anymore as many fans support the action. Other comments agree with this sentiment, though not without a bit of dark irony, stating that Nintendo's legal team is finally not suing young fans for piracy or copyright infringement, or that fans are siding with Nintendo for a change. Others still note that even if Nintendo wins, it will collect the money from the lawsuit for itself rather than refunding customers.
Nintendo's problems are far from over
Nintendo's tariff action is just the second dispute the Trump administration has had with Nintendo and its partners in the first full week of March. On March 5, the White House posted an image on social media using the font Pokemon Pokopia. The message “Make America Great Again” has been used as a slogan for the Trump administration and its policies. However, The Pokemon Company said on March 6 that it was not involved in the White House's social media post and did not give the Trump administration permission to use Pokemon IP for any political purpose. The company said: “Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not tied to any political opinion or agenda.”
However, Nintendo still has to face the looming possibility of a Switch 2 price increase in 2026. The ongoing global DRAM shortage crisis is causing RAM kits and solid-state drive (SSD) prices to rise worldwide. While the likes of Sony and Microsoft consider potential price changes, Nintendo has said it is monitoring the global DRAM crisis. Although Nintendo said it was not currently affected by the DRAM price increase, the RAM crisis may still affect the company's bottom line in the coming months. At the time of writing, the Nintendo Switch 2's launch day price remained at $449.99 before tax.
- Mark
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Nintendo
- Original release date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$449.99
- Operating system
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Proprietary
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR support
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Yes
Source: Aftermath
