New tariffs are scheduled to begin on August 1st, 2025 for countries who have not yet reached a trade agreement with the United States and the latest tariffs will possibly affect video games, too.
Earlier today, US President Donald Trump posted via his official Truth Social account the letters that were sent to the countries of Malaysia, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Laos, Myanmar, Tunisia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Serbia, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, and Japan.
Each of these countries were informed of their tariff rates, and this might impact gamers who are looking to purchase physical copies of video games or the game consoles themselves – especially in regards to Nintendo and Sony – as these products are often imported from Japan.
“Starting on August 1, 2025, we will charge Japan a Tariff of only 25% on any and all Japanese products sent into the United States, separate from all Sectoral Tariffs,” Trump said in the new letter. “Goods transshipped to evade a higher Tariff will be subject to that higher Tariff. Please understand that the 25% number is far less than what is needed to eliminate the Trade Deficit disparity we have with your Country.”
The only way to avoid Trump’s new tariffs is for Japanese companies to build or manufacture products within the United States, which Trump pledges any approvals will get done “quickly, professionally, and routinely” in a “matter of weeks.” Trump also noted if companies try to raise their tariffs in response, the United States will match that increase on top of the proposed 25% increase.
These new tariffs would also likely impact third-party sellers such as our friends at Play-Asia who often sell South East Asia releases as they typically are either primarily in English or at least have English voice or text in order to make games that don’t always make their way across the ocean more accessible to North American gamers.
Per the Associated Press, both South Korea’s Trade Ministry and the Prime Minister of Japan have already committed to accelerating trade negotiations before the deadline.
Could Nintendo or Sony just eat the 25% tariff and deal with slightly less profits to ensure gamers have copies of their beloved video games? It’s highly unlikely, considering they previously hiked prices after market conditions worsened.
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