Nintendos lawsuit against the US government is now on hold and it is unclear when legal proceedings will resume. The case is one of many filed against the Trump administration in recent months over sweeping tariffs imposed by 2025, but now faces some uncertainty. How Nintendo's suit will end was never set in stone, and now its timeline also carries a big question mark.
On March 6, 2026, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against the US government to collect refunds “with interest” of any tariffs paid since February 2025. In the filing, Nintendo claims that the administration's imposition of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was illegal, so the company is seeking to recoup its losses to cover those costs for unspecified amounts. Many other companies from various industries have filed similar cases, and while legal proceedings are always complex and difficult to predict, it's a notable move by a gaming giant notorious for taking action against consumers. Now, however, there is a new complication to deal with.
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Nintendo's customs process has automatically stopped
According to a court update obtained by Game File, Nintendo's lawsuit has been automatically stayed, meaning paused, due to a previous ruling. In December 2025, the United States Court of International Trade (CIT) stayed all unassigned IEEPA tariff-related cases until the court can determine “appropriate next steps” to resolve these lawsuits. Since then, the Supreme Court has ruled against Trump's IEEPA tariffs, but the question of how to handle potential refunds remains. It appears that the CIT may still lack a firm answer to these questions, as Nintendo's lawsuit has been put on hold during this previous order, and as such, it is uncertain when the case will resume.
The tariffs in question have prompted Nintendo to raise its prices for some Switch 2 accessories. However, the company kept the price of the console itself unchanged, which could mean it accepted a lower profit margin amid the tariffs, so its current lawsuit could help it recoup lost profits. Supply chain costs are also only part of the picture. After the Trump administration imposed these import tariffs, both Nintendo and Sony suffered falling stock prices as investors worried about the impact of the tariffs on profitability and sales in the United States. Any stock market-related losses likely won't play a role in the court proceedings, as the lawsuit focuses on the tariffs Nintendo paid, but these broader effects give the company all the more reason to take legal action.
Nintendo has a well-deserved reputation for being active in court. The Japanese gaming giant has opened numerous cases against emulators and accused imitators over the years, and in late 2025 Nintendo won a Wii patent lawsuit after a grueling 15 years of legal proceedings. But most of those lawsuits have all been against either individuals or other companies, so the action against the US government is a high-profile break from its usual legal business. There's no telling how the case will play out once it's reopened, as is the case with other IEEPA toll refund lawsuits, but it's still an important moment in the gaming industry.
If the case goes Nintendo's way once it reboots, consumers may find no relief. While a win in the lawsuit certainly wouldn't hurt the company's financial position, there are other economic factors at play that could still affect the prices of consoles and accessories. Earlier this year, Nintendo's president said that a price increase for the Switch 2 is possible in the future if the current memory shortage persists. These price squeezes, like the ongoing lawsuits against the Trump administration, have a lot of uncertainty ahead of them, so players will have to wait and see how things develop.
- Stamp
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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: Game file
