Video games

Video game industry warns: Donald Trump’s tariffs could affect ‘hundreds of millions of Americans’

Whatever happens, the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 will not be affected.

Update: Feb 5th, 2025 19:40 CET

The tariffs that Donald Trump has decided to impose on imports from various territories (China, Mexico, Canada, European Union...) will have a significant economic impact on a variety of sectors, including video games, as several of these countries play a strong role in the development of the industry.

The ESA (The Entertainment Software Association) has told IGN that it has spoken with the Trump administration to ask for talks with the private sector to find ways to “sustain the economic growth” in the sector, warning that American gamers could face negative effects from tariffs.

“Tariffs on video game devices and related products would negatively impact hundreds of millions of Americans and would harm the industry’s significant contributions to the U.S. economy. We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress to find ways to sustain the economic growth supported by our sector.” The statement is terse and does not mention the actual impact that the video game industry could face as a result of this move, but it is assumed that it could affect both hardware and software production, either at the level of inventory or even price increases.

Nintendo Switch 2 will not be affected

David Gibson, financial analyst, has clarified that nothing that happens as a result of Donald Trump’s new tariffs will affect the launch of Nintendo Switch 2, as the Japanese company and Hosiden (a manufacturing partner) have their backs covered by ensuring that it will be Vietnam that will supply the United States, while China will be responsible for doing the same with the rest of the world.

China tariff impact on Switch 2 launch in the US? Zero.
When Trump had his first term …Nintendo with Hosiden decided to try and get to 50% of production from Vietnam. So Vietnam production will supply to the US and China etc will supply to the rest of the world. Smart.
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) February 2, 2025

Will video games become more expensive?

In the absence of seeing what happens with tariffs, the fact is that the hypothetical increase in the RRP of video games has been on the table for some time. The move from 60 to 70 euros did not have as much impact as the controversial 80 euros that we currently see for the vast majority of video games. However, there are those who say that the worst is yet to come since practically no company has forcefully confirmed that they will not bet on a new increase. All this brings us to a clear name: GTA 6, the most anticipated game of the 21st century and which, many people believe, could be the title capable of daring to break the $69.99 barrier.