Nintendo has asked the court to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed by two American buyers who are demanding a partial refund for their Switch consoles if the company receives compensation from the US government for previously paid import duties.
The reason for the proceedings was last year's price adjustment for Nintendo consoles in the US. At that time, the price of the Switch Lite increased by $30, the standard Switch by $40, and the Switch OLED by $50. The increase was linked to import tariffs introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump, which affected products manufactured in China.
In March 2026, the US Supreme Court ruled that the president did not have the necessary authority to impose these tariffs. Following this, Nintendo, along with more than a thousand other companies, filed lawsuits against the US government, demanding the return of funds paid as a result of what they considered to be the illegal application of tariffs.
Against this backdrop, California and Washington residents Gregory Hoffert and Prashant Sharan initiated a class-action lawsuit against Nintendo. They believe that if the company receives compensation from the state, it should return the corresponding amount to customers who purchased consoles after the price increase.
However, Nintendo categorically disagrees with these demands. In court documents, the company states that buyers "received exactly what they paid for" when purchasing the console at a price they agreed to at the time of purchase. According to Nintendo's lawyers, a subsequent change in the legal situation regarding tariffs does not give customers the right to demand a recalculation of the cost of already completed purchases.
Furthermore, the company emphasizes that the price increase was not solely due to tariffs. The final cost of products was also affected by expenses for memory, labor, logistics, and other production costs. Nintendo notes that it did not pass on the entire amount of additional costs to customers and even partially absorbed them, including for some of the most popular products of 2025, such as the flagship Nintendo Switch 2.