Update, April 4, 2025: As a result of the tariffs, Nintendo has delayed US pre-orders for the Switch 2 from its original April 9 date until a later point. The launch date of June 5 will not change.


Original story, April 4, 2025: Analysts and other industry figures have weighed in on the potential impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs, including the upcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch 2.
Trump's general 10% tariff rate for certain countries comes into force on April 5, 2025, while nations affected by variously higher 'reciprocal' percentages will be hit from April 9. The full impact is still coming into focus as countries retaliate.
In this context, it's an extremely significant week for video games, with the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 revealed shortly before the tariffs were formally unveiled on April 2. As a result, it has ignited speculation around whether the $450 US price tag for the Switch 2 was partially determined by the incoming threat of tariffs or not.
"It's difficult to say for certain," Mat Piscatella of Circana tells GamesIndustry.biz when asked whether he believed Nintendo factored tariffs into the price. "However at least the potential for tariffs was widely known before the announcement of pricing around Switch 2 products.
"How much potential tariffs played as part of the determination of that pricing? I don't know. I'd have to believe that it was at least a consideration."
"Nintendo most likely ran simulations to get to a price that would make them tariff-proof as much as possible" Read more