Nintendo and GameStop have resolved the issue of Nintendo Switch 2 consoles arriving with cracked screens due to receipt staples, following reports that customers received damaged units at launch.
Affected gamers confirmed to IGN that GameStop has started issuing replacement Switch 2 devices by sourcing inventory from neighboring locations.
The prominent U.S. retailer released a brief statement on the situation — which Nintendo referenced when asked for comment by IGN — clarifying that only dozens of consoles were harmed in a single store incident.
"We have resolved a specific case where staples damaged Switch 2 screens, an issue isolated to one location," GameStop stated in a social media update."Replacements are being provided, and staplers have been taken away," the company added, sharing a clip from the 1999 comedy Office Space showing a boss removing a stapler from an employee's desk.
We’ve addressed a unique case of staples damaging Switch 2 screens—isolated to one store.
Replacements have been offered. Staplers have been confiscated. https://t.co/w6eOEDtCeK pic.twitter.com/8UUeS7mx8i
— GameStop (@gamestop) June 5, 2025
Many attendees at the midnight launch of the Switch 2 at GameStop’s Forest Avenue branch in Staten Island discovered their console screens were pierced by staples upon opening their new boxes.
While some shoppers criticized the store's choice to staple receipts to Switch 2 packaging, others highlighted Nintendo's box design — which places the console directly against the thin cardboard side with the screen facing outward.
"I saw this coming," one fan noted on social media. "It was a strange move by Nintendo to position the screen face-up at the top of the box with only thin cardboard for protection. You’ll likely hear about several damaged screens in the next few days, especially given how they are stacked during shipping."
IGN has reached out to both Nintendo and GameStop to ask if other locations have been instructed to avoid stapling receipts and whether Switch 2 packaging might be modified to better protect consoles from staples or other damage.
AnswerSee Results"I think GameStop handled this well," one customer told IGN after receiving a damaged Switch 2 during the midnight launch. "They swapped it for a new unit, so they must have shipped fresh stock to that location today to fix the staple issue."Another shopper who received a replacement mentioned that GameStop acted swiftly by pulling spare inventory from nearby stores to provide immediate replacements.
