Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé says the company’s early-2000s clash with Amazon stemmed from what he describes as illegal demands. For years, the absence of the Nintendo Wii and DS from the fast-growing retailer fueled speculation.
Now, gamers may finally have a clearer glimpse into what was happening behind the scenes.
Amazon’s Push Into Gaming
While speaking at an NYU Game Center Lecture Series, Reggie Fils-Aimé explained that at the time, Nintendo was selling ten million DS units a year in North America—a clear revenue driver at massive scale. Around that same period, Amazon was aggressively expanding beyond books, aiming to establish a foothold in the video game market. “Amazon’s mentality back then is they wanted to have the lowest price out in the marketplace, even lower than Walmart,” he explained.
A Nintendo DS – StrawHatMidas, YouTube
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That strategy, according to Reggie Fils-Aimé, led to Amazon asking Nintendo to do something illegal.
“And one of their executives called me… well, it was a conversation that got to me after it had progressed through all of the levels of my sales organization, and essentially what Amazon wanted is wanted an obscene amount of support, financial support, so they could have the lowest price and beat Walmart,” he said.
Undercutting Walmart in favor of Amazon could, at the very least, have damaged Nintendo’s relationships with other retailers. It may also have raised concerns under federal antitrust laws. From Reggie Fils-Aimé’s perspective, what Amazon was asking from Nintendo was illegal—and not a risk he was willing to take.
“I literally said to the executive, ‘You know that’s illegal, right? I can’t do that.’ You know you get silence on the other end, ‘but this is what I want.’”
A Standoff Between Companies
With the Wii and DS remaining unavailable on Amazon, it appears neither side was willing to budge. “Literally we stopped selling to Amazon, and it’s because I wasn’t going to do something illegal,” the former Nintendo president said. “I wasn’t going to do something that would put at risk the relationship we have with other retailers.”
A Nintendo Wii – StrawHatMidas, YouTube
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For the video game company, holding firm was about more than simply following federal law. “But it also set the stage to say, look, you’re not going to push me around. This is the way we do business. And so that’s how over time you build respect,” Reggie Fils-Aimé said.
Tensions Resurface Years Later
This was not the last time Nintendo and Amazon came into conflict. Last year, the Nintendo Switch 2 was not available on Amazon at launch. According to various reports, third-party sellers on the platform were undercutting Nintendo’s pricing, prompting the company to pull its products.
Nintendo Switch 2 – Nintendo of America, YouTube
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Amazon reportedly proposed an authenticity tag to verify legitimacy, which Nintendo may have initially declined. Since then, both sides have denied the allegations. While no official reason was given for the pause, Nintendo currently maintains an official presence on Amazon.
Lasting Impact on the Industry
Ultimately, the respect Nintendo earned by rejecting what it viewed as an illegal demand from Amazon may have worked in its long-term favor.
Yet Fils-Aimé’s account offers a rare glimpse into the high-stakes negotiations that shaped Nintendo’s retail strategy. It highlights how questions of pricing, legality, and long-term partnerships can define industry relationships—sometimes keeping even the biggest players at a distance.
Do you think Amazon asked Nintendo to do something illegal? Let us know in the comments!
