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Nintendo Switch 2 Lotteries Create Frenzy in Japan
Japanese Nintendo fans marked April 24, 2025 on their calendars as Nintendo planned to reveal lottery winners eligible for Switch 2 pre-orders through My Nintendo Store. However, overwhelming traffic forced Nintendo to temporarily take the store offline, while scams emerged targeting eager customers.
Pre-Order Lottery Chaos
The frenzy began when Nintendo opened applications on April 2 for Japanese customers to enter a lottery for Switch 2 pre-orders, with winners receiving purchase privileges ahead of the June 5 launch. President Shuntaro Furukawa revealed an astonishing 2.2 million Japanese applicants entered the lottery - far exceeding projections and disappointing thousands who won't secure launch-day consoles.
Phishing Scams Target Fans
As Nintendo prepared to notify winners today, excessive traffic crashed Japan's My Nintendo Store website. Opportunistic scammers immediately pounced, sending fraudulent lottery result emails directing victims to suspicious payment links. Japanese users shared scam examples through social media, showing convincing but fake "congratulations" notices demanding immediate payment.
The official Nintendo Support account warned: "We haven't sent lottery result emails yet today despite claims otherwise. Any emails claiming to be from Nintendo regarding lottery results before our official notification are fraudulent."
Global Pre-Order Challenges
Meanwhile, Nintendo announced U.S. customers may not receive their Switch 2 units until after launch day. The company explained that while invitation emails will start going out May 8th, they'll be sent periodically rather than simultaneously. Nintendo clarified that loyal Nintendo Switch Online subscribers meeting three key criteria will receive priority:
- Current Nintendo Switch Online membership holder
- Minimum 12 months of continuous paid membership
- 50+ gameplay hours with data sharing enabled
Selected U.S. customers will have 72 hours to complete their purchase upon receiving invitations. With overwhelming demand already causing sellouts through retailers, Nintendo acknowledged fans might have better luck securing units through third-party stores than waiting for My Nintendo Store invitations.
