{"id":137506,"date":"2026-06-08T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-202304"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:45:00","slug":"nintendo-fined-e35-million-over-widespread-joy-con-defects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2026\/06\/08\/nintendo-fined-e35-million-over-widespread-joy-con-defects\/","title":{"rendered":"Nintendo Fined \u20ac35 Million Over Widespread Joy-Con Defects"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Joy-Con\"<\/a>
<\/span> Image: Zion Grassl \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nintendo has been fined a whopping \u20ac35 million (just over $40 million) thanks to the widespread drifting defects that plagued the original Switch.<\/p>\n

As reported by Le Monde<\/a> (thanks, Games Industry<\/a>), an investigation by France’s General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF<\/a>) found that Nintendo may have been aware of Joy-Con defects as early as 2018, but failed to properly notify consumers until 2020.<\/p>\n

It’s been deemed that Nintendo effectively misled its customers, forcing many to purchase replacement Joy-Con controllers. French consumer association UFC-Que Choisir filed a complaint in 2019<\/a> regarding the issue, stating that Nintendo had engaged in “planned obsolescence”, which is when products are produced with a deliberately limited lifespan.<\/p>\n

Nintendo remains stubborn over the issue, however, stating that it did not mislead customers and that paying the \u20ac35 million fine “does not constitute an admission of guilt and reflects only the amicable resolution of legal proceedings.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a social media post from Nintendo Patents Watch<\/a> notes that a \u00a56.4B \u201closs on litigation\u201d was highlighted on the company’s latest balance sheet. The figure more or less aligns with the fine, and so this is likely what it’s referencing.<\/p>\n

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