Nintendo's latest sale is 'made possible' by the tariff refunds it's hoarding

Rather than giving any of the tariff refunds it obtained from the US government back to players, Nintendo has opted to run a Customer Appreciation Sale. The sale, which Nintendo claims is one of its "largest promotions ever," starts at midnight ET on September 13 and it runs until September 26.

"The Customer Appreciation Sale is our way of saying thank you to Nintendo players for their continued support and is made possible in part by tariff-related refunds," the company said. "While Nintendo absorbed most tariff-related costs, the refunds helped make promotions like this one possible."

The sale will run across the eShop, Nintendo Store and retailers. It includes 30 percent discounts on dozens of digital games and bundles, as well as DLC, physical games, Amiibo, accessories and other merch.

The company increased Nintendo Switch 2 pricing in the US, Canada and Europe just last week owing to "changes in market conditions." It jacked up prices of the Switch and other products in August 2025 for similar reasons in the wake of tariffs being imposed on imports to the US.

Earlier this year, Nintendo sued the US government in an attempt to claw back tariff payments after the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration's global levies were illegal. In an earnings report last month, the company said it had received around $300 million in tariff refunds, adding that "the tariffs related to the refunds were primarily borne by the company rather than passed on to consumers through product prices."

Like PlayStation parent Sony and Amazon, Nintendo is facing a consumer lawsuit after declining to pass along tariff refunds to customers. In a motion to dismiss that Nintendo filed in July, the company argued it's not legally required to give those refunds back to consumers, claiming the plaintiffs "received exactly what they bargained and paid for" when they bought its products following tariff-induced price increases.

Framing the sale as a thank you to players — whose money Nintendo wants to get its hands on during said event — while touting the tariff refunds as a reason for making the discounts possible is deeply gross. Panic, on the other hand, did the right thing by simply giving tariff refunds back to Playdate owners.