Nintendo States the Switch Was Stolen and Resold Illegally
Yes, you read that right. Following recent news that a NeoGaf user got their hands on a Switch early, Nintendo has since confirmed that some of the consoles that have appeared recently were stolen from a US distributor partner! Nintendo has stated that the individuals responsible for the theft have been fired and are currently being investigated by law enforcement.
In a statement to IGN, Nintendo had this to say about the stolen consoles: “Earlier this week, individuals claimed to prematurely purchase a small number of Nintendo Switch systems from an unspecified retailer. Nintendo has determined these units were stolen in an isolated incident by employees of a U.S. distributor, with one system being illegally resold. The individuals involved have been identified, terminated from their place of employment, and are under investigation by local law enforcement authorities on criminal charges.” Nintendo is obviously taking this very seriously. They also stated that when the Switch launches on March 3rd worldwide, they “look forward to everyone being able to discover the wonders of the new system for themselves at that time.”
During the unboxing video of the Nintendo Switch, there were new details discovered about the console, including the digital purchases that will be tied to a specific online account, rather than one console. While Nintendo has yet to confirm this, it is very good news as players are so used to having the ability to buy and store games online, rather than a specific console, as with the PS4 and Xbox One.
This news comes with less than two weeks to go before the launch of the Nintendo Switch, which will hit markets at $300 USD. As the release date creeps up, keep it locked for all news on the Nintendo Switch!