This article was updated by Andrea Trama on 7 March 2026 with social media reactions to the news. It was first published on March 6.
On March 6, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against the US government over the Trump administration's tariffs on goods from various nations the gaming giant does business with, including China and Mexico. Nintendo stated that, since the Supreme Court struck down Trump's tariffs, it sued to collect any refunds the government was owed “with interest” according to the court's order.
After US President Donald Trump's return to office in 2025, the US government imposed tariffs on goods coming from various nations. Ergo, the costs of the collected tariffs were passed on to consumers across the country. As of April 2025, the US government's tariff rate on China was as high as 145%, causing the prices of food, electronics and other goods to increase across the board. The Trump administration cited the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) as justification for the tariffs. As a result, Nintendo raised the prices of Switch 2 controllers and accessories, although the Switch 2 console still held its launch price of $449.
A new Nintendo Direct airs next week, but there's a big catch
A new Nintendo Direct is officially confirmed for the third week of March 2026, although the upcoming showcase comes with a big catch.
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 global 10% tariff via an executive order that would apply for a maximum of 150 days. Now Nintendo has taken the initiative to get back the duties it paid before the Supreme Court's ruling. According to the lawsuit filed in the US Court of International Trade, Nintendo listed members of the Trump administration as the main defendants, including secretaries Scott Bessent, Kristi Noem, Rodney Scott, Jameison Greer and Howard Lutnick. The lawsuit stated that Nintendo wants to collect any refunds “with interest” of customs duties that had been paid since February 2025.
Although a refund amount was not disclosed in the lawsuit, Nintendo said it “suffered harm caused by the IEEPA duties” and that any judgment against the company would result in “irreparable and irreparable harm” to Nintendo's bottom line. Nintendo stated that the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration had racked up more than $200 billion in imports worldwide. According to Reuters, US Customs and Border Protection said it would 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 since February 2025. It remains to be seen how each lawsuit will be handled.
How people are reacting to Nintendo's lawsuit against the US government
Although the topic is serious and addresses several lawsuits against the US government's tariffs, the internet reacted mostly with memes and jokes. Twitter user @KinguGaiden couldn't help but note the timing of the news, as just a day earlier the official White House account used Pokemon Pokopia for MAGA propaganda.
Another user named @SelenaAnaRg shared a Megamind meme about how Nintendo's legal team is no longer “the bad guy”, as many fans support this action. Other comments echo the sentiment, but not without some dark irony, saying 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, they will collect the money from the lawsuit for themselves, rather than refunding customers.
Nintendo's problems are far from over
Nintendo's tariff suit is just the second run-in 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 with the font Pokemon Pokopia. The message of “Make America Great Again” has been used as a slogan for the Trump administration and its policies. However, The Pokemon Company stated on March 6 that it was not involved in the White House's social media posts and did not give the Trump administration permission to use Pokémon IP for all political purposes. The company said: “Our mission is to bring the world together, and that mission is not tied to any political point of view or agenda.”
However, Nintendo still has to face the looming possibility of a Switch 2 price hike in 2026. The ongoing global DRAM shortage crisis is causing the prices of RAM kits and solid-state drives (SSDs) to increase worldwide. As companies like Sony and Microsoft ponder potential price changes, Nintendo said it was keeping an eye on the global DRAM crisis. Although Nintendo stated that it was not currently affected by the DRAM price increases, the RAM crisis could still affect the company's results in the coming months. As of this writing, the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 remained at its launch day MSRP of $449.99 before tax.
- Stamp
-
Nintendo
- Original release date
-
June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
-
$449.99
- Operating system
-
Proprietary
- Resolution
-
1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR support
-
Yes
Source: Aftermath
