France’s consumer rights agency DGCCRF fined Nintendo €35 million (about $40-46 million) on June 8 for failing to promptly inform customers about Joy-Con drift problems in its original Switch controllers [1, 2, 3, 4].
Joy-Con drift causes the controller sticks to register directional input even when untouched, making gameplay difficult. The issue stems from plastic wear on circuit boards that appears after a few months of use, causing malfunctions [1, 2, 3, 4]. Nintendo launched the Switch in 2017, and drift issues on first-generation Joy-Cons emerged over time [1, 4].
Despite internal awareness of these flaws between 2018 and 2020, Nintendo did not acknowledge the problem publicly until 2020, according to reports [3, 4]. The delay allegedly misled consumers. The defect reportedly prompted many users to replace controllers at full price rather than seek repairs, which boosted Nintendo’s profits, the DGCCRF said [1, 2, 3].
Nintendo has offered free Joy-Con repairs, with sources disagreeing on whether they began in 2019 or only in 2023 [3, 4]. The company acknowledges improvements in later Joy-Con models but admits some drift reports continue [1, 2].
Nintendo denied intentionally deceiving customers and called the fine an "amicable resolution". A company statement said the fine "does not constitute an admission of guilt and reflects only the amicable resolution of legal proceedings" [1, 2].
A 2022 UK consumer group also criticized Joy-Con design flaws as fundamental to the drift problem [1, 2]. The Switch has sold over 155 million units worldwide [2].
The DGCCRF’s sanction is the latest regulatory action against Nintendo for hardware quality issues. Nintendo and French authorities have yet to announce further steps or appeals related to the fine.
