Why Nintendo and Amazon Have Been Awkward for Years, According to Reggie Fils-Aimé
Nintendo fans have probably noticed something weird over the years: for a company as massive as Nintendo, its relationship with Amazon has never felt as smooth as you would expect.
Now, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé has shared a bit more context on why things between the two giants became so tense.
Speaking during a lecture at NYU, Reggie explained that the trouble started when Amazon was still trying to strengthen its position in gaming retail. According to him, Amazon wanted to sell Nintendo products at the lowest price in the market, even below Walmart. To make that happen, Amazon allegedly asked Nintendo for a huge amount of financial support so it could undercut its rival.
Reggie said he refused because, in his view, the request crossed a legal line. More importantly, he felt agreeing to it would damage Nintendo’s relationships with other retailers. Instead of bending, Nintendo stopped selling to Amazon directly for a period.
That is a pretty big move, especially when you consider how dominant Amazon is in the US retail space. But Reggie framed it as a matter of setting boundaries. Nintendo, under his leadership, was not going to let one retailer pressure it into a deal that could create bigger problems elsewhere.
For Malaysian and SEA gamers, this story matters because it shows how retail politics can directly affect availability, pricing, and launch-day buying options. We may not rely on Amazon the same way US buyers do, but the same supply chain decisions eventually ripple into our region. When Nintendo chooses where and how to sell hardware, that can influence grey import pricing, local bundle availability, Shopee and Lazada listings, and how quickly stock reaches smaller markets.
It also helps explain why Nintendo products can sometimes feel strangely controlled compared to PlayStation or Xbox gear. Nintendo has always been very protective of pricing, distribution, and brand positioning. That can be frustrating when Malaysian buyers are hunting for the best RM deal, but from Nintendo’s perspective, it keeps retailers from racing to the bottom or messing up long-term partnerships.
The timing is interesting too. GamingBolt notes that this history could help explain why the Nintendo Switch 2 was not available on Amazon when it launched last year. If Nintendo and Amazon have carried this baggage for years, then skipping Amazon for a major console launch suddenly makes a lot more sense.
Meanwhile, Nintendo seems to be doing just fine without fully leaning on Amazon. Switch 2 software support continues to expand, and the console has been performing strongly. Amazon, on the other hand, recently shut down Luna, its cloud gaming service, which shows how difficult it is to force your way into gaming even when you are one of the biggest companies in the world.
The takeaway here is simple: Nintendo plays the long game. Whether you love or hate its strict approach, the company clearly believes that controlling retail relationships is part of protecting the brand. For SEA players, that means we should keep expecting Nintendo hardware and games to follow their own rhythm here — sometimes slower, sometimes pricier, but usually very deliberate.
Source: GamingBolt
