(Reuters) – The Nintendo Switch saw its popularity soar during the Pandemic of Covid -19 and the sanitary containment measures, but the launch of the new version of this flagship console stands up today to the harsh reality of an intense trade war.

The Switch 2 must make its debut on June 5, eight years after the original version, which has passed at 150 million units and silenced the skeptics which predicted the decline of video game consoles.

While the trade war has drawn attention to sectors like the automobile or semiconductors, Nintendo must also deal with customs duties that disrupt its activity.

For the manufacturer of Super Mario and Donkey Kong games, these commercial barriers complicate one of the most anticipated product launches of the year, while the success of the Switch 2 is crucial for the group’s profitability in the years to come.

The launch of the new console will test Nintento’s capacity to manage its supply chain while maintaining the sale price, set at 449.99 dollars in the United States.

“If customs duties really affect the group, it will probably have to increase the price of Switch 2,” said Serkan Toto, founder of the consulting firm Kantan Games.

Nintendo announced the price and the launch date of the new Switch on April 2, the same day that US President Donald Trump unveiled a series of massive customs duties.

The group subsequently suspended pre-orders in the United States, the time to assess the impact of American surcharge. Friday, he finally announced the maintenance of the price in the United States and the launch of pre-orders from April 24.

Nintendo, however, increased the price of certain accessories and prevented in a press release that other adjustments “would also be possible in the future according to market conditions”.

“The price increase in accessories can only refer to the shock to a certain extent,” says Serkan Toto.

The company based in Kyoto has already experienced disturbances in the past in its supply chain, notably in China, a country now targeted by customs duties of 145% import to the United States.

“Nintendo plans to supply the United States from Vietnam and Cambodia, subject to normal demand,” said Robin Zhu, analyst at Bernstein.

These two countries are also affected by customs duties, although they were suspended for 90 days.

The United States is a key market for Nintendo, the Americas region that generated 44% of group sales over the year ended in March.

“Even in the pessimistic scenario where Nintendo would face reciprocal customs duties of 46% in Vietnam and 49% in Cambodia, I am leaving from the principle that they will have to absorb this cost,” said Jay Defibaugh, analyst at Clsa.

According to Ampere Analysis, Nintendo is expected to sell 4.6 million Switch 2 in the United States in 2025, out of 13.2 million units sold worldwide.

“I do not think that will affect the commercial impulse in North America,” says Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst at Ampere.

Experts believe that the most loyal fans will buy the console even at a higher price, but a pricing increase could slow demand from occasional players, who had nevertheless transformed the first Switch into immense popular success.

The launch price of game consoles is considered one of the key factors for their success, and that of the first Switch had already been observed closely.

Some players already criticize the 50% increase in the price compared to the first console, as well as the price of new games, such as the “Mario Kart World” sold 79.99 dollars.

For some analysts, the Switch 2 price already incorporates a margin of uncertainty linked to the trade war.

(Written by Sam Nussey; Noémie Naudin, edited by Augustin Turpin)

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