Over the last month, or pretty darn close to it now, the focus of almost the entire gaming world was on the Nintendo Switch 2. Sure, there was the Summer Game Fest and other such promotional events, but given what was and wasn’t shown at those shows, it really was all about the Switch 2. The console broke all manner of sales records, including selling 3.5 million units in just 4 days! However, due to the fervor surrounding the console and its sales, with many people unable to get the system in its opening days, many were desperate to figure out where they could buy one. So, when people noted that the US branch of Amazon didn’t have any consoles or accessories for a time, people were confused.
Now, when we say “didn’t have any consoles or accessories,” we don’t simply mean that they were sold out. We’re talking about how they were straight-up gone from the website. You couldn’t find them, let alone buy them. That raised all sorts of eyebrows. Were these two feuding? If that was the case, why were they fighting? Fans searched for answers but didn’t get any meaningful results. However, Bloomberg put out an article where they claimed to have an inside source on the matter.
The long story short version of it is that Nintendo was mad at Amazon over their failure to shut down third-party sellers of their products who had been selling the Nintendo Switch 2 and other things at a much lower price, thus stiffing Nintendo of some profits:
“The Japanese company stopped selling on Amazon after noticing that third-party merchants were offering games for sale in the US at prices that undercut Nintendo’s advertised rates. Enterprising sellers were buying Nintendo products in bulk in Southeast Asia and exporting them to the US. Amazon tried to assuage Nintendo by offering to attach labels to products that guarantee they’re authentic. But the offer wasn’t sufficient and Nintendo ultimately opted to pull its products from Amazon in the US.”
Curiously, both sides denied the claims, and Nintendo’s products are back on Amazon in the US. It’s possible that they quietly resolved their issues and then were able to move forward, but you have to wonder if certain things like this could lead to further “pulling” in the future.
Amazon definitely doesn’t want to lose Nintendo products, as it’s the hottest gaming brand in the world right now, and that would definitely cost them a pretty penny.
