Nintendo of Europe agrees to pay €35m fine for Joy-Con drift defects
Nintendo of Europe has been ordered to pay a €35 million ($46 million) fine by France’s General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) over its handling of widespread Joy-Con drift defects affecting the original Nintendo Switch.
An investigation found that Nintendo was aware of the controllers’ responsiveness and drift issues as early as 2018, but failed to inform consumers until 2020. This delay caused many Switch owners to purchase replacement Joy-Con controllers unnecessarily, unaware of the underlying defects. The issue proved significant enough that French consumer association UFC-Que Choisir filed a complaint in 2019, alleging Nintendo engaged in “planned obsolescence.”
The DGCCRF determined that Nintendo’s silence constituted misleading commercial practice, particularly since the company profited from uninformed customers buying replacement controllers instead of seeking repairs. Only after sustained public pressure did Nintendo eventually begin offering free repairs for affected Joy-Con units.
Nintendo has disputed the characterization, denying intentional deception and describing the settlement as an “amicable resolution.” Nevertheless, the Joy-Con drift issue remains a documented hardware problem that affected countless Switch owners throughout the console’s lifespan, making this regulatory action a significant accountability moment for the company.