Nintendo Switch 2 Replacements Offered By GameStop After Receipt Stapling Damage

GameStop has issued replacements for pre-ordered Switch 2 consoles with screen damage caused by receipts being stapled to the box.

The Switch 2 was released on 5th June alongside the new title Mario Kart World. This comes eight years after the release of its previous console, the Nintendo Switch, in 2017. Other new additions include improved performance, magnetic Joy-Cons and a GameCube library for Switch Online members. Current titles available from the beloved 2001 console include The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Soul Calibur 2 and F-ZERO GX, with more to come.

Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, the highly anticipated console has reportedly already sold over 3 million copies, breaking the record for most consoles sold in 24 hours.

However, the excitement of the launch was dampened slightly for some Nintendo fans who had pre-ordered the Switch 2  from GameStop, only to receive damaged consoles. Store receipts had been stapled onto the boxes, accidentally puncturing the screens.

Some fans took to social media to criticise Nintendo for the design of the packaging, with just the thin cardboard box and some plastic covering the screen of the £395.99 (£429.99 with Mario Kart World) console. One user wrote, “Nintendo shouldn’t have designed a box that put the screen so close to the wall of the box that a staple could hit”. 

In response, GameStop has now offered replacements to those who received damaged consoles, stating in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that these were cases “isolated to one store”, joking that “staplers have been confiscated”. 

Ultimately, GameStop’s quick response to offer free replacements was praised; one customer affected told IGN, “GameStop did right by me”. 

Words by Alice Bennett

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