Nintendo Bans a Nintendo Switch 2 User For Installing Second-Hand Games

Nintendo engages in anti-consumer practices – by now, saying that is like saying the sky is blue or fire is hot: obviously, everyone knows that. But recently, the gaming giant took things to a new level by banning a Nintendo Switch 2 user for installing several second-hand Switch 1 games on their console, sparking concern even among Nintendo players – perhaps the most loyal and dedicated fanbase to ever fanbase – some of whom called the situation "scary."

According to Reddit user dmanthey, they were inexplicably banned earlier this week after simply downloading patches for four Switch 1 games purchased from Facebook Marketplace. They described inserting each game into Switch 2 one by one and waiting for the patches to download, only to turn on the console the next day and find their online access restricted, preventing them from even downloading the games they had bought.

As a silver lining, and to give Nintendo credit where it's due, dmanthey was eventually unbanned, but not before pulling up the Facebook Marketplace listing and sending photos of the cartridges to Nintendo. While the user described the process as "painless and fast," whether being forced to prove your innocence for doing nothing illegal just to get access to a device you had purchased qualifies as "painless" feels more like a matter of perspective.

While there haven't been any known reported cases of this happening to others, dmanthey's situation seems to be yet another instance of Nintendo overreaching in its efforts to protect its IP and combat piracy – an overreaction not too dissimilar from their designing Switch 2 in such a way that they can remotely brick any console they want, a practice for which Nintendo is already facing a lawsuit from the Brazilian government.