Reggie Fils-Aimé Remembers Illegal Request from Amazon During the DS Era

Key Points:

• Reggie Fils-Aimé, former Nintendo of America president, revealed that an Amazon executive once requested Nintendo to engage in illegal financial support to undercut competitors during the Nintendo DS and Wii era, which he refused, leading to Nintendo ceasing sales to Amazon at that time.
• The tense interaction occurred in the late 2000s or early 2010s as Amazon sought to offer the lowest prices on video games, but Fils-Aimé prioritized legal and ethical business practices and protecting relationships with other retailers.
• Nintendo's complicated relationship with Amazon continued over the years, including rumors of disputes over third-party resellers around the Nintendo Switch 2 launch, though both companies denied these claims and Nintendo products returned to Amazon in mid-2025.
• Fils-Aimé emphasized that successful collaboration with Amazon, such as during the original Switch launch in 2017, was built on a mutually beneficial approach rather than coercion, establishing respect and clear business boundaries between the companies.
• The revelations highlight the challenges Nintendo faced in balancing strong retailer partnerships while navigating the evolving digital marketplace and pricing pressures from major online retailers like Amazon.