News

Nintendo Delays Switch 2 Pre-Orders in U.S. to Assess Tariffs' Impact

Nintendo told GameStop and other retailers on Friday that it has postponed pre-orders for its Switch 2 system in the United States, "to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions." The company will announce the new U.S. pre-order date later, and added that it still plans to launch the system in the United States on its global launch date of June 5.

Nintendo had announced the global April 9 pre-order date, the US$449.99 price, and other details for its Switch 2 launch on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. EDT. U.S. President Donald Trump formally announced new tariff taxes on imports seven hours later, after U.S. stock markets closed. Stocks in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere have dropped across the board in the two days since.

Nintendo had already been shifting part of the original Switch's production from China to Vietnam since 2019 during Trump's first term. The Financial Times reported that factories in Vietnam and Cambodia now make more than half of Nintendo's hardware destined for the United States, and the company has stockpiled hundred of thousands of Switch 2 systems in the United States early, partly in anticipation of the tariffs.

Background on New U.S. Tariffs

Trump announced a baseline tariff of 10% on global imports to the United States will start on April 5. He also announced reciprocal tariffs will start against many countries on April 9. Vietnam and Cambodia will receive some of the highest reciprocal rates at 46% and 49%, respectively, while Japan and China will receive 24% and 34%, respectively. (The U.S. already levied previous tariffs on China, so the total rate for China will be 54%.)

The U.S. administration noted that it can raise tariffs further or lower them, depending on how countries respond. Vietnam agreed on Friday to talks with the United States on the tariffs, while China announced on the same day that it would impose 34% more tariffs on the United States on April 10.

The new U.S. tariffs will also affect toys, figures, and other merchandise produced in China, Vietnam, Japan, and elsewhere in Asia.

Thanks to Blanchimont for the news tip.

Sources: GameStop's Instagram account, Polygon (Michael McWhertor), The Financial Times (David Keohane and Leo Lewis), Vox (Nicole Narea), The White House, Reuters (Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio), Reuters link 2 (Mei Mei Chu, Ethan Wang, Shi Bu and Xiuhao Chen)