If you didn’t know, right now China and America on in the midst of a trade war. Already several tariffs have been levied between the two with more looking very possible to come soon. It’s a bit outside our depth to go into why this happening or what the broader societal impact will be (you can find out by searching other non-entertainment news based websites and papers if you want more information). But, as we reported in April, it could have a direct impact on the gaming industry as some of the proposed tariffs would target gaming consoles. Well, all three of the major platform holders are uniting here to push back.
In a letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all wrote to the current administration to reconsider the tariffs. There are already tariffs in place, as mentioned above, but this seems aimed specifically toward more that are being proposed that have not passed as of writing this article.
The tariffs already in place have seen some impact in the industry, though not quite on the consumer level. Nintendo has reportedly moved Switch production from China to South East Asia due to current tariffs as well as the possibility of new ones. Obviously with Switch revisions looking to be close, and Sony and Microsoft about to launch next generation consoles, it’s something that could have a big impact on the industry. We’ll keep you updated.