Nintendo of Europe Pays 35 Million Euro Settlement Following French Joy Con Drift Hardware Failure Allegations
Nintendo of Europe has reached an agreement to pay 35,000,000 Euros to settle allegations it misled French customers about its Joy Con controllers regarding persistent mechanical failures. A probe by France’s DGCCRF consumer protection agency was initiated following recurring reports about analog stick failures or Joy Con drift. This settlement is among the biggest consumer actions levied against the gaming firm regarding hardware longevity.
As reported by Le Monde, regulators believed that the manufacturer was aware of hardware defects as early as 2018, yet did not admit to the problem in public until 2020 when it confirmed the systematic issue creating an obfuscation toward the public.
A report of the inquiry, as cited by Le Monde said that the business
Did not provide its consumers with accurate information regarding malfunctions found in certain of its controllers.
The legal action itself came after UFC Que Choisir, a French consumer organization, submitted a complaint in 2020 alleging deliberate obsolescence and claiming that a large proportion of units had degraded. This was after it was discovered that Which, a British consumer group, had conducted an analysis that estimated more than 40% of Switch Joy Con controllers could develop analog drift issues relatively quickly. Due to the manufacturer not clearly communicating that customers had the ability to get free repairs, many bought new controllers instead.
Nintendo denied that it actively deceived its user base. In an official statement addressing the resolution of the case the corporate office clarified that the financial settlement:
does not constitute an admission of guilt and reflects only the amicable resolution of legal proceedings
While improved production and the offering of free out of warranty repairs began in 2023, the issues have persisted for several years including a US class action suit that was thrown out by the courts in 2024.
