Is anybody else massively confused about many of the decisions that Nintendo is making just days after announcing the long-awaited Switch 2? To me, it almost seems that Nintendo simply failed to do their homework on time. First, the company announces that pre-orders of the console would be delayed in the U.S. due to tariffs that were somehow foreseen by everyone on the planet except Nintendo. Second, as reported by Nikkei Asia, they have now delayed the release of the new Switch in China in “response to the country’s tight controls targeting the gaming industry.” Which also appear to be foreseen by everyone except Nintendo.
JUST IN: Nintendo is delaying Switch 2 pre-orders as it assesses "the potential impact of tariffs."
— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) April 4, 2025
Pre-orders were set to start April 9th. A new date is now TBD.
The US release is still scheduled for June 5th. pic.twitter.com/MjD4Y3oqsK
The Nintendo Switch 2, unveiled earlier this year, has generated significant buzz with its upgraded hardware, including a custom Nvidia chip supporting DLSS and ray tracing, and a $449.99 price tag in the U.S. While pre-orders are underway in regions like Japan, the UK, and Australia, China’s release has hit a roadblock. According to Nikkei Asia, Nintendo’s decision stems from the country’s tight controls on the gaming industry, which require extensive approval processes for both hardware and software. These regulations have historically delayed console launches, as seen with the original Nintendo Switch, which didn’t reach China until 2019, two years after its global debut.
I just don’t understand how things that seem glaringly obvious to everyone fly right over Nintendo’s head after YEARS of research and development on this highly anticipated console. It’s almost like I don’t believe them. Either that, or they’re just not navigating these situations very carefully. There is no way that Nintendo somehow just overlooked the tariffs that everyone knew were coming very soon. After the company’s disastrous Treehouse Live event, where the comment’s section was flooded with angry messages demanding that Nintendo lowers the price of the console, I get the feeling that they already had factored in tariffs to the price of the console, but used the new policy as a scapegoat to dodge some of the heat they were under. Of course, it’s also possible that Nintendo never anticipated the tariffs to become a reality despite the persistent threats, which could also explain their strange behavior.
Now, with this postponing of the console’s release in China, my conspiracy oriented mind is pushing me further towards the possibility of Nintendo not telling the full truth. It’s no secret to anyone that China has always been a difficult place for video game makers to sell their products in, and Nintendo is no stranger to this as they have worked on selling consoles in the country since around the time the Chinese ban on gaming consoles was lifted in 2015. The way that they are unveiling this news almost sounds like it’s a surprise to them that China would be a difficult market to enter.
Nintendo’s experience in China has been mixed. The original Switch, distributed through a partnership with Tencent, faced sluggish sales due to limited game availability and regulatory restrictions. Tencent is likely to continue playing a key role in Nintendo’s Chinese operations, though the future of their collaboration remains unclear.
Adding to the complexity, retailers in China had already begun accepting pre-orders for the Switch 2, only to face cancellation following Nintendo’s announcement. The company is reportedly taking a cautious approach, aiming to evaluate demand before committing resources to the market. Which, again, is strange to me considering how much time Nintendo had to plan all of this out before allowing the console’s preorders to go live in the country.
Maybe all of this is some sort of big misunderstanding on my part, and I’m by no means a real journalist, but I’m not sensing total transparency coming from Nintendo. I’m sure there are probably many other theories out there that explain the company’s decision making, but something about it all stinks to me.
-@DraakoTP