Activist Group Urges Boycott of Nintendo Switch 2 Over Marketing Concerns

Nintendo is facing a new wave of criticism, this time from an activist group targeting the company’s handling of the Switch 2. Gaming Consumer Rights (GCR) has launched a dedicated website urging players to boycott the console, citing what it describes as manipulative marketing, inflated pricing, and misleading scarcity tactics.

The group accuses Nintendo of tricking consumers into purchasing an overpriced system and “repackaged $80 Switch 1 games.” On its official site, GCR frames the Switch 2 as a console being marketed under false urgency, where scarcity is not organic but manufactured to drive sales. According to the group, this creates an artificial environment that pressures fans into purchasing sooner and paying more.

The group’s website delivers a blunt call to action: “it’s time we SWITCH 2 a new gaming platform.” Visitors are encouraged to avoid supporting Nintendo financially and instead direct their spending toward smaller competitors or other alternatives in the market.

GCR’s mission statement is direct:

“Gaming Consumer Rights wants to correct the corruption in video games that has pushed AAA towards greed and bloat. Gaming should be accessible and fun for everybody regardless of their budget, country, or lifestyle.” — Gaming Consumer Rights

Nintendo is specifically accused of inflating console prices, pushing hardware that is “purposely obsolescent,” and threatening user rights over digital ownership. The group’s press release goes further, criticizing the Switch 2 for “hijacking prices, threatening physical media, controlling digital activity, creating purposely obsolescent hardware, and illegally bricking consoles.”

The campaign will not remain limited to online advocacy. GCR announced that it is organizing in-person protests at two of the biggest upcoming gaming events: New York Comic Con and The Game Awards. These demonstrations are intended to highlight the group’s concerns in a high-profile way and potentially draw mainstream attention beyond gaming circles.

The site also includes details on the Switch 2’s pricing, hardware specifications, and user rights policies, alongside recommendations for alternative gaming systems from smaller companies. GCR highlights these options as proof that the industry can support competition without relying on blockbuster publishers. Educational resources on the site outline how fans can join the movement and apply consumer pressure to push back against the practices they view as exploitative.

The group argues that player backlash has already influenced the industry in recent years. GCR points to recent price drops for Borderlands 4 and The Outer Worlds 2, citing fan outcry as a reason publishers adjusted pricing strategies. They also mention legal actions abroad, such as a lawsuit in Brazil challenging end-user license agreements that allow companies to brick consoles, and UK Amazon’s discounts on physical Game Key Cards, which they frame as a move toward consumer-friendly ownership.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is highlighted as a counterexample to what GCR calls the excesses of AAA gaming. Priced at just $20, the indie title is presented as proof that high-quality releases can avoid bloated costs and still succeed. For the group, this supports the argument that the industry does not need to rely on inflated pricing and artificial scarcity to thrive.

The campaign comes at a time when Nintendo is positioning the Switch 2 as a major next-generation platform. While excitement remains high, the GCR movement underscores the growing skepticism toward established publishers and their methods. The group believes collective action can reshape industry practices, making games more accessible and less driven by short-term profit models.

Whether the boycott will have an impact on the Switch 2’s launch or Nintendo’s long-term strategy remains to be seen. But GCR’s effort signals a broader trend: consumer advocacy is becoming louder, more organized, and willing to directly challenge some of gaming’s biggest names. For Nintendo, this could mean that fan enthusiasm for its next console launch will have to compete with a coordinated call for resistance.