French consumer authorities have imposed a 35 million euro fine on Nintendo for misleading consumers about Joy-Con drift issues. The penalty covers the period from January 2018 to December 2023 and addresses complaints regarding the console's controller hardware. This financial action targets Nintendo of Europe specifically for its commercial practices during those years.
French consumer authorities classify Nintendo's commercial practices as misleading regarding known controller defects spanning six years.
The investigation centers on the Switch console family and its detachable Joy-Con controllers. French authorities determined that the company failed to adequately inform buyers about known defects in the analog sticks. The regulatory body classified these actions as a misleading commercial practice under consumer protection laws.
Nintendo faces this penalty from the DGCCRF, France's national competition authority. The fine addresses widespread drift complaints where controllers register unintended input movements. Regulatory findings indicate Nintendo knew about the hardware faults before publicly acknowledging them to consumers.
The company denies intentional misconduct and treats the settlement as an amicable resolution rather than an admission of guilt. The enforcement comes after years of consumer complaints and multi-regional litigation concerning Joy-Con drift issues. Authorities stated the penalty seeks to prevent similar misleading commercial practices in product marketing going forward.
The proceedings underscore continued regulatory attention to the company's manufacturing standards for its controllers. Prior resolutions in other jurisdictions handled comparable drift reports via device repairs or financial reimbursements. This French sanction ranks among the most significant consumer protection penalties issued for video game hardware malfunctions.
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