Nintendo fined €35M in France over Joy-Con drift controversy that frustrated Switch owners for years
Nintendo's European branch has accepted a €35 million fine that was imposed by France’s Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).
Woman handles a Joy-Con, part of Nintendo Switch gaming system. Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty.
Nintendo's European branch has accepted a €35 million fine that was imposed by France’s Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF).
Nintendo launched its first-generation Switch console in March 2017.
Soon after the launch, the Japanese gaming manufacturer became aware of defects in certain Joy-Con controllers for the gaming handheld, in which the sensors registered movement due to wear and tear even when the stick was in the neutral position.
This issue, also known as “Joy-Con drift,” got Nintendo’s attention back in 2018. However, the gaming company only began communicating about it two years later, after the DGCCRF received a complaint from the French consumer interest group UFC-Que Choisir.
Still, Nintendo waited until 2023 to offer free repairs for affected controllers, even if the statutory warranty period had expired.
According to France’s consumer and competition regulator, Nintendo of Europe committed to a “deceptive commercial practice” from 2018 to 2023.
Because the gaming company waited two years before communicating about the technical issues, some gamers unnecessarily bought new controllers instead of sending their defective ones in for replacement, thus adding extra revenue to Nintendo’s pockets.
In a statement to the French newspaper Le Monde, Nintendo of Europe says it didn’t intentionally mislead consumers. Nevertheless, the gaming company accepts the €35 million fine.
A company spokesperson emphasized that agreeing to the settlement doesn’t constitute an admission of guilt. It merely reflects the “amicable settlement of legal proceedings.”
According to Nintendo’s April to December 2025 financial results, the company sold 17.37 million units of the Nintendo Switch 2, which was released on June 5th, 2025. Nintendo managed to sell 37.93 million video games during this period.
The original Nintendo Switch sold 3.25 million copies and 108.93 million games during this time.
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