Nintendo Store Chaos: Pre-Order Lottery Frenzy and Scammer Exploitation in Japan

For Nintendo enthusiasts in Japan, April 24, 2025, marks a significant date as Nintendo unveils the fortunate winners of the Switch 2 pre-order lottery through the official My Nintendo Store. However, the surge in traffic overwhelmed the website, prompting Nintendo to temporarily shut it down for maintenance. Amid this excitement, Nintendo also issued a critical warning about phishing emails that falsely claim to notify recipients of their Switch 2 pre-order lottery results.

The pre-order lottery for the Switch 2 in Japan commenced on April 2, offering winners the opportunity to purchase the console at its launch on June 5. According to a message from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, an astonishing 2.2 million people participated in this initial lottery, far exceeding Nintendo's expectations and leaving many hopeful fans disappointed.

As the results of the first Switch 2 presale lottery were released today, a rush to access the My Nintendo Store website led to Nintendo taking the site offline for maintenance. Unfortunately, this frenzy also provided an opportunity for scammers to distribute fake lottery result emails.

On social media platform X, Japanese-speaking users have been sharing screenshots of these fraudulent emails, highlighting various versions of the scam. These emails typically feature a subject line proclaiming "You have won the Switch 2 lottery," which could easily mislead excited fans. The phishing emails often urge recipients to click on a LINE messenger app link or to make a payment via a dubious URL, pushing for immediate action to secure their new console. These attempts vary in sophistication, from obvious fakes laden with emojis to more subtle errors such as misspellings of "Nintendo" in email addresses and the use of non-Japanese URLs.

The official warning from the Japanese Nintendo Support account clarifies: "Although we plan to send out the lottery result emails today (April 24), we have not sent them yet. Please be aware that any such emails that you have received up until now were not sent by Nintendo."

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In the U.S., Nintendo has updated its website, cautioning those who registered interest in purchasing a Switch 2 from My Nintendo Store that delivery on the June 5 release date cannot be guaranteed. Consequently, invitation emails might arrive after the Switch 2's launch. However, Nintendo assures that the shipping date will be confirmed upon purchase. In light of this, Nintendo suggests that fans might have a better chance of securing a Switch 2 at launch by pre-ordering through third-party retailers, despite the console already selling out after pre-orders opened overnight.

The challenges faced by fans trying to pre-order the Switch 2 on April 24, combined with Nintendo's warning, indicate that obtaining the next-generation console will be difficult around its launch date.

According to a FAQ posted on Nintendo’s website, the initial batch of invitations for the My Nintendo Store in the U.S. will be sent out starting May 8, 2025. Subsequent batches of invitation emails will be dispatched "periodically" until purchasing is open to everyone. These initial emails will be sent on a first-come, first-served basis to "eligible registrants who meet the priority criteria." Invitees will have 72 hours from the time the email is sent to complete their purchase.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order invitation priority requirements:

• You must have been the one who purchased any Nintendo Switch Online membership.
• You must have had any paid Nintendo Switch Online membership for a minimum of 12 months.
• You must have opted in to share gameplay data and have at least 50 hours total gameplay hours.