For Nintendo fans in Japan, April 24, 2025, marks a significant date. Nintendo is scheduled to announce the lucky winners selected for official Switch 2 pre-orders via the My Nintendo Store. However, overwhelming traffic forced Nintendo to take the store website offline for maintenance. The company also issued a warning about fraudulent phishing emails disguised as official Switch 2 lottery result notifications.
Nintendo began accepting applications for the Switch 2 pre-order lottery in Japan on April 2. Winners gain the opportunity to purchase the console from the My Nintendo Store for delivery on the launch day of June 5.
According to a recent message from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, approximately 2.2 million people in Japan entered the initial presale lottery. This demand vastly surpassed the company's expectations, meaning many hopefuls will be disappointed in their quest to secure the console for launch day.
As the first lottery results were released today, a surge of users attempting to access Japan's My Nintendo Store prompted Nintendo to temporarily take the site down for maintenance. Simultaneously, scammers capitalized on the Switch 2 excitement by distributing fake lottery result emails.
Japanese-speaking users on X warned others by sharing screenshots of the fraudulent messages, which came in several variations. An email with a subject line proclaiming "You have won the Switch 2 lottery" would understandably excite any Nintendo fan.
These deceptive emails typically instruct the recipient to either click a link to the LINE messenger app or make a payment through a suspicious URL, pressuring them to act immediately to secure their console. The phishing attempts vary from obvious fakes filled with emojis to more sophisticated versions containing subtle errors, such as misspelled Nintendo email addresses and non-Japanese web links.
The official alert from Nintendo's Japanese Support account clarifies: "We plan to send the lottery result emails today (April 24), but they have not been dispatched yet. Please be aware that any such emails received prior to this notice were not sent by Nintendo."
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In the United States, Nintendo published a website update regarding release-day delivery. It warns individuals who registered interest in buying a Switch 2 from the My Nintendo Store that delivery by the June 5 launch cannot be guaranteed.
Consequently, invitation emails might arrive after the Switch 2 is released. Nintendo has stated it will confirm the specific shipping date at the time of purchase. The company now suggests that pre-ordering through a third-party retailer might offer a better chance of obtaining the console at launch—a concerning statement given that Switch 2 pre-orders sold out quickly overnight.
The challenges fans faced attempting to pre-order the Switch 2 on April 24, combined with Nintendo's official warning, indicate that the next-generation console will be exceptionally difficult to purchase around its launch period.
According to an FAQ posted on Nintendo's website, the first wave of invitations for the U.S. My Nintendo Store will begin on May 8, 2025. Subsequent invitation waves will be sent "periodically" until the store eventually opens for general purchasing.
The initial invitations will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to "eligible registrants who meet the priority criteria." Those who receive an invite will have a 72-hour window from the time the email is sent to finalize their purchase.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Invitation Priority Requirements:
You must have personally purchased a Nintendo Switch Online membership. You must have maintained an active, paid Nintendo Switch Online membership for at least 12 months. Additionally, you must have opted in to share gameplay data and accumulated a minimum of 50 total gameplay hours.
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