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Nintendo Restricts Switch 2 Sales in Japan to Curb Scalping

The company requires buyers to have at least 50 hours of prior Switch playtime to block bulk resellers exploiting regional price gaps.

Overview

  • Nintendo of Japan said Thursday it suspended sales after detecting multiple orders it believes were bulk purchases for resale.
  • The new rule requires a minimum of 50 hours of Nintendo Switch playtime recorded by 11:59 PM on May 31, 2026, and excludes time spent in demo or free-to-play software.
  • The measures apply only to the Nintendo Store’s multilingual Switch 2 sold in Japan and include a strict one-console-per-Nintendo-Account limit.
  • Reports say scalpers were taking advantage of a weak yen and lower Japanese multilingual pricing to import units ahead of demand and resale.
  • Nintendo’s action comes before a planned $50 Western price increase and aims to reduce reseller profit while helping genuine customers obtain consoles during broader industry price pressure.