Former Nintendo of America boss cut off Amazon’s supply of Wii and DS consoles due to “obscene” demands: “I wasn’t going to do something illegal”

During a recent NYU Game Centre lecture series, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé revealed the dramatic story behind Nintendo’s decision to stop selling Wii and DS consoles on Amazon. At the height of the Wii and DS era, Nintendo was moving approximately 10 million units annually across North America, making it a highly desirable product for retailers. Amazon executives approached Fils-Aimé requesting what he characterized as “an obscene amount of support” from Nintendo—essentially asking for substantial financial backing that would allow Amazon to undercut competitors like Walmart on pricing.

Fils-Aimé made clear he was unwilling to capitulate to these demands, stating that he wasn’t prepared to engage in potentially illegal arrangements. Rather than accept Amazon’s terms, Nintendo of America took the dramatic step of completely withdrawing both the Wii and DS from sale on the online retailer.

The friction between the two companies proved temporary, however. By the time Nintendo launched the Switch in 2017, the companies had reconciled their differences and resumed their business relationship. The incident illustrates both Nintendo’s confidence in its market position during that era and the competitive pressures that shaped retail distribution strategies in the gaming industry. It also underscores how the landscape has shifted—at the time, Amazon was still competing fiercely with Walmart rather than the dominant force it would later become.

Former Nintendo of America boss cut off Amazon’s supply of Wii and DS consoles due to “obscene” demands: “I wasn’t going to do something illegal”

Sources