Reggie Fils-Aimé says Amazon once asked Nintendo to break the law
Published: (May 3, 2026 at 11:24 AM EDT)
1 min read
Source: The Verge
Source: The Verge
Nintendo’s Early Relationship with Amazon
During the DS era, Nintendo stopped selling its consoles to Amazon. Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils‑Aimé explained in a recent NYU lecture that Amazon was seeking preferential treatment that could have:
- Damaged Nintendo’s relationships with other retailers
- Potentially violated the law
Reconciliation and Current Availability
The two companies later reconciled, and today a Switch 2 can be purchased through Amazon. However, for many years Nintendo consoles were largely unavailable on the site.
Amazon’s Expansion Strategy in the 2000s
In the 2000s, Amazon aggressively expanded beyond books and attempted to undercut competitors on price, even aiming to outprice Walmart, according to Fils‑Aimé.