Nintendo has taken the unprecedented resolution to delay Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S., blaming the impression of Trump’s tariffs and “evolving market conditions.”
Pre-orders had been set to go reside in the U.S. on April 9. Nintendo didn’t share an up to date kick-off date, however did promise that the June 5, 2025 release date of the Switch 2 itself stays intact.
Nintendo issued IGN the following assertion:
Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. won’t begin April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impression of tariffs and evolving market circumstances. Nintendo will replace timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.
Nintendo has confirmed the pre-order delay is restricted to the U.S. In the UK, for instance, Nintendo's pre-order delay stays unchanged.
Nintendo announced the Switch 2 at $449.99, with a Mario Kart World bundle priced $499.99. Mario Kart World itself is priced $79.99.
Nintendo Switch 2 comes with the following:
- Nintendo Switch 2 console
- Joy-Con 2 controllers (L+R)
- Joy-Con 2 Grip
- Joy-Con 2 Straps
- Nintendo Switch 2 Dock
- Ultra High-Speed HDMI Cable
- Nintendo Switch 2 AC Adapter
- USB-C Charging Cable
Nintendo’s assertion issued immediately raises the prospect that it might hike the price of the Switch 2 and its video games additional amid what is already an angry backlash to its next-gen pricing strategy.
Speaking in a video on their YouTube channel, former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang criticized Nintendo for the way it revealed the $449.99 price of the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price of Mario Kart World following this week's Nintendo Direct.
“I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo,” Ellis stated.
U.S. markets tumbled immediately after China hit back in opposition to Donald Trump's raft of tariffs. China, which faces a 54% import tax, has retaliated with an further 34% tax on U.S. items from subsequent week.
Moments earlier than the U.S. markets opened, Trump stated "China played it wrong, they panicked," and insisted his insurance policies would "never change."
The world is now left dealing with financial uncertainty, with some mainstream information media declaring the period of low cost items now over for the American client as larger tariffs are routinely handed by to inflation and better costs.
Tariffs are primarily taxes positioned on the value of importing sure items. While it's doable for corporations in the provide chain to merely eat these prices, more usually than not these taxes are handed onto customers. And sadly for avid gamers, rising costs are very seemingly to impression tech and gaming items.
Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad had warned that Trump's shock tariffs on nations comparable to Vietnam, the place Nintendo had shifted some of its Switch 2 manufacturing in anticipation of U.S. tariffs on China, may need brought about a rethink.
"While the company has shifted some of its manufacturing to Vietnam to offset U.S. tariffs on China, the looming threat of reciprocal tariffs prior to the Switch 2 showcase will have also forced Nintendo to consider a higher price for the rest of the world," Ahmad stated. "The reciprocal tariffs on Vietnam and Japan have come in higher than expected, and Nintendo will feel the impact of this if the tariffs go into full effect."
For more, take a look at everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and (*2*).
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can attain Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].