‘I Wasn’t Going to Do Something Illegal’ — Reggie Fils-Aimé Remembers the Phone Call That Made Nintendo Stop Working With Amazon During the DS Era
During a recent lecture at New York University, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé revealed details about a significant rift between Nintendo and Amazon that occurred during the waning years of the Nintendo DS and Wii generation, sometime in the late 2000s or early 2010s.
According to Fils-Aimé’s account, an Amazon executive contacted him directly with a request that put Nintendo in an uncomfortable position. The executive asked the company to take actions that Fils-Aimé describes as “illegal,” a request that ultimately led to Nintendo ceasing its working relationship with the retail giant.
The incident exemplifies the business pressures that major companies can face from powerful retailers and the ethical boundaries companies must maintain even under significant pressure. Fils-Aimé’s refusal to comply with the request—stating clearly that “I wasn’t going to do something illegal”—demonstrates Nintendo’s commitment to operating within legal boundaries, despite whatever advantages such an arrangement might have offered at the time.
The deterioration of the Nintendo-Amazon relationship during this period had notable implications for both companies’ operations in the gaming space. The timing, occurring as the Wii was still a major force in the market and the DS remained popular with consumers, made it a particularly significant moment in Nintendo’s retail history.
Details about the specific nature of Amazon’s request remain unclear from Fils-Aimé’s account, but the incident stands as a notable example of the kind of behind-the-scenes business negotiations and conflicts that shape the gaming industry’s landscape.