Nintendo Hit With €35 Million Fine as the Joy-Con Drift Bill Comes Due

Nintendo has accepted a 35 million euro settlement in France over the original Switch's long-running Joy-Con drift issue, according to a June 8 notice from France's DGCCRF. The case stems from a complaint filed in September 2020 by consumer group UFC-Que Choisir. It comes in the same week as another Europe-related regulatory development: confirmation that Switch 2 will use a removable battery design to meet relevant EU 2023 rules.

That penalty traces back to the first Nintendo Switch, released in March 2017, whose bundled Joy-Con controllers became widely associated with drift. In practice, the fault could cause characters or cursors to move on their own, trigger unintended inputs, reverse commands, and in severe cases freeze up entirely. The problem appeared across a large number of devices worldwide, drew heavy consumer complaints, and Nintendo went a long time without offering a public response that satisfied players.

The more serious finding, though, was not simply that the controllers failed. French authorities concluded that Nintendo of Europe had known about the defect before 2020. That is what made this more than a hardware failure. According to the investigation, Nintendo's disclosures from 2018 to 2023 were delayed and incomplete, leaving some consumers unaware of the fault and therefore less likely to seek repairs. Instead, some paid out of pocket for replacement controllers when they should not have had to.

From a consumer perspective, the 35 million euro settlement feels less like a surprise than a delayed consequence. In 2025, the full findings were transferred to the Nanterre prosecutor's office, which then proposed a criminal settlement under Article L523-1 of the French Consumer Code and related regulations. Nintendo of Europe accepted that 35 million euro penalty and also committed to publishing a notice on the homepage of its French website. A public explanation is better than silence, but it arrived late.

For current owners, the most useful detail is Nintendo's repair policy. Since 2023, Nintendo of Europe has offered free repairs for drifting Joy-Con controllers, including units that are already outside the legal warranty period, and users can still submit requests through Nintendo's official website. For anyone still using a first-generation Switch, that matters more in practical terms than an apology.

If you are deciding between buying a Switch now and waiting for Switch 2, the practical takeaway is simple. First, if your older Joy-Con is drifting, do not rush to buy another controller before checking whether free repair is available in your region. Second, this alone is not a reason to write off Switch 2, because there have not yet been reports of the same fault affecting Switch 2. Third, treat after-sales support as part of the hardware price. A console can look cheap up front, but accessory costs add up quickly when support fails.

The broader point is that hardware stories now extend beyond specs and games to compliance and support. This same week, Nintendo of Europe also confirmed that Switch 2 will shift to a removable battery design in order to comply with relevant EU 2023 rules. It is not the most exciting hardware headline, but it is a practical one. Players do not buy a system only for its launch lineup or day-one appeal; they also buy it for whether it still feels manageable 3 to 5 years later, and whether support problems make ownership harder over time.

One detail in the official wording matters. The DGCCRF said on June 8 that the investigation began after the September 2020 complaint from UFC-Que Choisir, and that the prosecutor's action followed. In other words, this was not a sudden intervention. It was a long case built around a defect regulators believe Nintendo knew about, a disclosure record they judged inadequate, and a final settlement of 35 million euro.