Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé is opening up about the long-running friction between Nintendo and Amazon, and his account suggests the tension wasn’t just typical retail haggling. According to Fils-Aimé, the relationship hit a major breaking point years ago when Amazon allegedly pushed for demands he says crossed a legal line.
Fils-Aimé shared the story during an interview appearance at the NYU Game Center Lecture Series, later discussed by fans online. He explained that near the end of the Wii and Nintendo DS era, Amazon was aggressively trying to grow its influence in the video game business. In that push, a company executive allegedly asked Nintendo for what Fils-Aimé described as an “obscene amount” of support—specifically financial support—so Amazon could offer the lowest prices and undercut major competitors like Walmart.
Fils-Aimé says his response was blunt: “You know that’s illegal, right?” He also made it clear he wasn’t willing to damage Nintendo’s broader retail ecosystem by playing favorites in a way that could hurt other key partners, including specialty game retailers. The standoff reportedly led Nintendo to stop supplying Amazon with product stock for a period of time, deepening the rift between the two companies.
The tension didn’t disappear with the arrival of the Nintendo Switch in 2017. While Nintendo products did return to Amazon listings, new frustrations reportedly surfaced—this time tied to used game sales and concerns about third-party sellers. Shoppers increasingly noticed that it could be harder to find Nintendo consoles and games sold directly by Amazon itself, with more listings coming from outside marketplace vendors instead.
Then came the most visible flashpoint for gamers: the launch of Nintendo’s next system in 2025, when many buyers were surprised that Amazon in the U.S. didn’t appear to support the debut in the way people expected—particularly for console and game availability at launch. Rumors swirled that pricing disputes were at the heart of it, including claims that Nintendo didn’t want third-party sellers undercutting suggested prices and worries that international resellers could exploit regional price differences. Nintendo later denied parts of the speculation, but the situation still left fans questioning what really happened behind the scenes.
Now, Amazon once again carries a broad selection of first-party Switch 2 games, along with the system itself. The retailer also began matching prices on physical releases after Nintendo announced lower pricing for some digital versions, signaling at least a partial reset in how the two companies align on pricing.
Even with products widely available again, the history between Nintendo and Amazon suggests the relationship can shift quickly—especially when control over pricing, marketplace policies, and third-party sellers becomes part of the conversation. For players who still prefer physical Switch 2 games, Nintendo’s strong retail presence across multiple stores remains a key advantage, even as its biggest online storefront relationship continues to evolve.
