Updated
Updated · Engadget · Jun 8
Nintendo of Europe Accepts $40 Million France Fine Over Joy-Con Drift Deception
Updated
Updated · Engadget · Jun 8

Nintendo of Europe Accepts $40 Million France Fine Over Joy-Con Drift Deception

3 articles · Updated · Engadget · Jun 8

Summary

  • €35 million — more than $40 million — will be paid by Nintendo of Europe after France's DGCCRF found it misled Switch buyers over Joy-Con stick drift.
  • 2018 to 2023 is the period regulators said deceptive practices occurred, arguing Nintendo acknowledged the defect only in 2020 rather than when it first learned of the problem.
  • Nintendo must also post a notice about the deceptive-practices finding on the homepage of its French website, adding a public penalty to the financial one.
  • Joy-Con drift has dogged the Switch since its 2017 launch, triggering lawsuits and investigations even as Nintendo has offered free repairs to affected customers since 2019.

Insights

After a €35M fine for faulty controllers, did Nintendo secretly fix the flaw in its new Switch 2 console?
France fined Nintendo over a known defect. Will this trigger a global wave of consumer lawsuits against big tech?
Was Nintendo's infamous controller defect an engineering mistake or a calculated business strategy to sell replacements?