Nintendohas updated its terms and conditions concerning harassment of customer service staff, with the intent to better protect employees who are being consulted about repairs.Nintendo’s policy revision comes in the wake of a year that has highlighted employee mistreatment throughout the industry, starting with Activision Blizzard during July last year and perpetuated by more recent headlines regarding allegations levied against media company Rooster Teeth.
On June 15, 2025, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housingfiled a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, following a two-year investigation that alleged the existence of a “frat boy” workplace culture, which saw women abused and harassed at the company for years. The video game community soon saw not only further allegations against Activision Blizzard, but stories of harassment, abuse, and exploitation across the industry, including but not limited to companies such as Ubisoft, Riot Games, and Nintendo. In what was reported this April, contract workers at Nintendo of America detailed that many believed the company had taken advantage of their status as part-time employees. These allegations followed a labor complaint filed against the company days earlier, accusing it of “coercive actions” and interference with attempts to unionize.
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In a tweet posted by Nintendo’s Japanese account last week, it was announced that “repair service regulations/warranty regulations” were to be updated on October 19. The policy now requests customers to “refrain from engaging in actions that go beyond socially accepted norms,” with a few noted as intimidation, insults, and breach of privacy. Additionally, “excessive repetition,” demands for an apology, and internet use,are all subject to Nintendo’s scrutiny, and could result in a refusal to repair or, if behavior is deemed malicious, involvement of police/lawyers.
It is yet to be seen how Nintendo intends to enact these terms and conditions practically, but players would be wise to expect strict enforcement. The new terms and conditions do not seem to address anything brought forth by Nintendo of America contractors, but closely follow language used in findings by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. It listed harassment as one of the most significant issues in Japanese workplaces and discovered customer harassment to be the only form of harassment to have reportedly increased in recent years.
Nintendo and partner PlatinumGames were recently embroiled in controversy surroundingBayonetta 3, where Helena Taylor, the voice actor for the titular character of series, was reportedly only offered $4,000 to reprise the role, before being replaced with Jennifer Hale. This claim has since been thoroughly disputed, with many reports indicating that Taylor had omitted important details, including that the quoted figure was for each session, which would bring the total to $20,000.
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