I’d been trying to figure out what the ¥6.4B “loss on litigation” is on Nintendo’s latest balance sheet (image above). It turns out to be a €35M fine to the French government for the Joy-Con drift (image below). The upcoming shareholders meeting is going to be fun.
Just to be clear, the fine isn’t for the analogue stick per se but Nintendo Europe’s “delayed and incomplete communication”. IIRC, Nintendo America set up a free—regardless of warranty—repair program for Joy-Cons since 2019, but Nintendo Europe didn’t set up a similar program until 2023 (French prosecutor specifically referenced the year). That’s a crucial difference. Doug Bowser gave the right call.
[Originally posted on 2026-06-08 Pacific Time]
