When Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders began earlier this year, console stock was available at a range of US stores — except for the biggest online retailer out there, Amazon.com.
The lack of Switch 2 consoles and games for sale in the US via Amazon has been frequently remarked upon, but never explained. And now, Nintendo itself has denied a Bloomberg report that discusses an alleged ongoing issue between the Mario maker and Jeff Bezos’ megacorp over third-party resellers.
As IGN reported earlier this month, new first-party Nintendo games have been almost completely absent from Amazon.com over the past year, aside from a rogue Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom listing. This changed with Amazon offering pre-orders for the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive Donkey Kong Bananza, which it began offering from June 17.
Still, the Switch 2 itself and various other upcoming Nintendo games, such as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, remain unavailable to buy or pre-order. And, as noted by IGN today, a previous listing for the Switch 2 has now been removed completely, instead inexplicably replaced with a 404 page that can feature a dog named Bowser.
Today, Bloomberg reported that the ongoing lack of Nintendo products on Amazon was a deliberate move by the Switch 2 manufacturer to combat third-party sellers buying consoles in bulk from Southeast Asia and exporting them to the US to sell for cheaper prices than Nintendo itself.
Amid the threat of Nintendo pulling stock from sale, Amazon allegedly offered to label games sold directly by Nintendo as such, adding an extra layer of authenticity to customer purchases, but to no avail.
For its part, however, Nintendo has quickly denied Bloomberg’s reporting. “There is no such fact,” a Nintendo spokesperson told Tom’s Hardware. “We do not disclose details of negotiations or contracts with retailers.”
Amazon has also denied Bloomberg’s report, and said its detailing of the relationship between it and Nintendo was “inaccurate”.
“[Amazon is] pleased to offer Nintendo products directly to our customers as part of our commitment to providing an exceptional shopping experience with the widest selection possible,” an Amazon spokesperson said, without explaining why Amazon’s actual selection of Nintendo products wasn’t the widest out there.
IGN has contacted Nintendo for comment, and to ask if it can share why more of its products are not offered for sale via Amazon.com.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
