Nintendo of Europe to pay 40m fine for Joy-Con drift issues
Nintendo of Europe has been ordered to pay a €35 million fine (approximately $40 million) by French regulatory authorities for misleading customers regarding Joy-Con drift defects on the original Nintendo Switch controllers. The penalty was issued by France’s General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) following an investigation into the company’s handling of known hardware issues.
According to the DGCCRF, Nintendo became aware of technical defects affecting the Joy-Con controllers—including responsiveness issues and drift—as early as 2018. However, the company did not disclose these issues to consumers until 2020, a two-year delay during which customers purchased unnecessary replacement controllers while unaware of the widespread known defect.
The investigation determined that Nintendo’s failure to promptly inform consumers about these technical defects constituted consumer deception in violation of French consumer protection regulations. Joy-Con drift became one of the Nintendo Switch’s most notorious issues globally, with users reporting controllers registering input without being touched. Nintendo eventually offered repair and replacement programs, but the delayed disclosure and initial lack of transparency contributed to significant consumer frustration. This fine represents one of the largest regulatory penalties Nintendo has faced for consumer protection violations and underscores regulatory scrutiny of hardware manufacturers’ responsibilities to promptly disclose known defects.