Nintendo Lawyers Secure Another Payday After Reaching Settlement With Genki Over CES Switch 2 Mockup

A U.S. justice has ordered accessories shaper Genki to wage Nintendo damages arsenic portion of a colony successful the suit implicit the company’s Switch 2 mockup shown astatine CES 2025.

Nintendo sued Genki successful May for trademark infringement aft it shared renders of a Switch 2 "mockup" months earlier Nintendo revealed authoritative images of its caller console.

Genki was reportedly visited by Nintendo’s lawyers astatine its CES 2025 booth, though astatine the clip Genki told the property it did not motion a non-disclosure statement (NDA) with Nintendo, and truthful had "nothing to interest about."

Genki told visitors its Switch 2 mockup, which debuted 3 months up of Nintendo's ceremonial unveiling, was allegedly based connected a existent Switch 2 strategy that Genki had seen and utilized arsenic the ground for its accessories.

Nintendo sued the company, accusing Genki of "embarking upon a strategical run intended to capitalize connected the nationalist involvement surrounding Nintendo's next-generation console." It alleged trademark infringement, unfair competition, and mendacious advertising.

Nintendo asserted Genki "boasted its alleged aboriginal entree to the unreleased console and allowed guests to clasp and measurement the mockups," adding that arsenic Genki’s claims of compatibility "would beryllium intolerable to warrant without unauthorized, amerciable aboriginal entree to the Nintendo Switch 2... Genki has misled and is misleading the nationalist arsenic to its quality to warrant the compatibility of its products with the Nintendo Switch 2."

"In January 2025, [Genki] began advertizing that it gained unauthorized entree to Nintendo's upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 console, which had not yet been released oregon adjacent revealed publically by Nintendo," the tribunal papers said.

"Following its archetypal claims of entree to a genuine Nintendo Switch 2 console, Defendant's statements were contradictory and inconsistent, with Defendant aboriginal stating that it was ne'er successful possession of a console. Nevertheless, Defendant has since maintained its practice to consumers that its accessories volition beryllium compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 upon the console's release."

Nintendo besides took umbrage with a tweet from Genki connected January 20, which showed CEO Edward Tsai with a digit to his lips and the caption: "Genki ninjas infiltrate Nintendo Kyoto HQ" and a pop-up connected the Genki website that read: "Can you support a secret? We can’t..."

Now, Nintendo and Genki person reached a settlement, arsenic spotted by X / Twitter idiosyncratic OatmealDome. The tribunal papers confirming the ruling failed to disclose the damages, and it is mentioned that Genki denies it obtained a Switch 2 up of its uncover oregon launch. Each enactment shall carnivore its ain attorneys’ fees and costs.

As portion of the ruling, a imperishable injunction was entered against Genki preventing it from utilizing immoderate logo oregon plan owned by Nintendo, oregon thing confusingly similar.

It besides can’t usage the presumption ‘Glitch,’ ‘Glitch 2,’ ‘Genki Direct,’ ‘Genki Indirect,’ oregon immoderate different akin rebranding oregon approximation of Nintendo properties. Genki indispensable marque it wide that immoderate of its accessories compatible oregon marketed for usage with Nintendo’s products travel from an unlicensed accessory manufacturer.

News of the ruling comes aft a Nintendo console modder who refused to unopen down his concern contempt warnings from Nintendo — and who past defended the ensuing suit without a lawyer — was ordered to wage $2 million.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].