My Nintendo Store Chaos: Switch 2 Pre-Order Lottery Overwhelms Site, Scammers Emerge

For Nintendo enthusiasts in Japan, April 24, 2025, marks a significant date as Nintendo announces the winners of the Switch 2 pre-order lottery through the My Nintendo Store. The overwhelming demand led to the website undergoing maintenance due to excessive traffic, and Nintendo also issued a warning about phishing emails that falsely claim to announce Switch 2 pre-order lottery results.

The application period for the Switch 2 pre-order lottery in Japan began on April 2, with the successful applicants set to purchase the console upon its launch on June 5. In a message from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, it was revealed that approximately 2.2 million people participated in the first lottery round, far surpassing Nintendo's expectations and leaving many hopeful fans disappointed.

As the results of the first Switch 2 pre-sale lottery were released today, the rush to access Japan's My Nintendo Store was so intense that Nintendo had to take the site offline for maintenance. Concurrently, scammers exploited the excitement by circulating fake lottery result emails.

On social media platforms like X, Japanese-speaking users have been sharing screenshots of fraudulent emails, alerting others to various scams. These deceptive emails often feature subject lines like "You have won the Switch 2 lottery," which could easily mislead excited fans. The emails typically prompt users to click on a LINE messenger app link or make immediate payments through questionable URLs. The sophistication of these phishing attempts varies, with some containing emojis and others featuring minor errors such as misspellings of "Nintendo" in email addresses or non-Japanese URLs.

The official warning from the Japanese Nintendo Support account clarifies that, "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's website has updated its information regarding release-day delivery, informing those who registered their interest in purchasing a Switch 2 from My Nintendo Store that delivery by the June 5 release date cannot be guaranteed. Invitation emails might arrive after the Switch 2's release, but Nintendo assures buyers that their shipping date will be confirmed upon purchase. Amidst these challenges, Nintendo suggests that pre-ordering from third-party retailers might offer a better chance of securing a Switch 2 at launch, though pre-orders at these outlets have already sold out.

The difficulties faced by fans trying to pre-order the Switch 2 on April 24, coupled with Nintendo's warning, indicate that obtaining the next-gen console will be challenging 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 start going out on May 8, 2025. Subsequent batches will be sent out "periodically" until the purchasing option is available to everyone. The initial invitations will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis to "eligible registrants who meet the priority criteria," with invitees given 72 hours from the email's dispatch to finalize their purchase.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order invitation priority requirements:

• You must have purchased any Nintendo Switch Online membership.
• You must have maintained any paid Nintendo Switch Online membership for at least 12 months.
• You must have opted in to share gameplay data and accumulated at least 50 hours of total gameplay.