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Nintendo is fighting in court over whether it should share with customers any payments it receives from the US government for tariff duties, and is arguing against returning money to consumers who paid higher prices for its products.
In March, Nintendo sued the federal government over its share of about $166 billion in refunds owed to companies, including FedEx and Dollar General, after some tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump were deemed illegal. A month later, two Nintendo customers filed a proposed class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleging that the company would double down by taking additional profits when it raised product prices and then collecting money from the refunds.
Before the Supreme Court rejected the tariffs, Nintendo raised the prices of several accessories by $5 to $10 in April 2025. Last August, Nintendo raised the price of original Switch hardware in the United States by $30 to $50, depending on the model.
Now, in a filing filed in response to the proposed class action lawsuit, Nintendo says it owes nothing to players who purchased its products at the higher prices, because they chose to pay the higher price.
A Nintendo representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What Nintendo tells the court
like Reported by game fileNintendo’s most recent lawsuit describes the situation bluntly, stating that customers who paid higher prices while the tariffs were in effect “got exactly what they bargained for and paid for” and that they are not entitled to a discount based on subsequent legal developments.
The global entertainment company known for its cute little dinosaurs like Yoshi and Family-friendly theme park attractions It wasn’t pretty in her legal response, writing: “The money Plaintiffs paid represents the purchase price of the goods they wanted and received; Plaintiffs are not entitled to a discount merely because of overlapping legal developments related to tariffs.”
Nintendo continues to say that it has not raised prices across the board and has not included its latest flagship product, the Nintendo Switch 2, in the price increases.
“Instead, Nintendo imposed modest and selective price adjustments, choosing to bear the costs of tariffs on some of its most popular products for 2025,” the filing said. “If the consumer does not want to pay the advertised price, he or she is free to refrain from purchasing the product or to seek out competing products.”
Nintendo is seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed if it cannot settle the case through arbitration.
Commenters on IGN had mixed reactions, with many saying that players were not entitled to any compensation for unexpected policy outcomes, while others criticized Nintendo’s logic.
One person passes agmonger23 wrote“But didn’t Nintendo get exactly what it negotiated and paid for when it agreed to pay tariffs in order to import its products? It should be happy to waive the refund request.”
However, in the game file, commentator James Jackson Defend Nintendo’s responseat least with regard to the proposed class action. “Nintendo has many other anti-consumer practices. These practices are not worth suing over,” he wrote.
According to Fortune$71 billion was paid to US companies that covered the tariffs. While some shipping companies, including FedEx, UPS and DHL, have said they plan to return customers money from these refunds, some technology companies, including Amazonhas been the target of similar lawsuits.
