Nintendo has announced that it’s making a donation to the Japanese Red Cross Society to support those affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which struck Japan on January 1.
Nintendo’s official corporate account posted the news in the early hours of this morning (January 16) on Twitter / X. In the post (translated by Google), the company expressed its “deepest sympathies” to those affected by the earthquake, and stated that it is donating 50 million yen (roughly $341,000 or £270,000) to the Japanese Red Cross Society.
令和６年能登半島地震により被害を受けられました皆様に、心よりお見舞い申し上げます。…January 16, 2024
In addition, it revealed that the company is offering to “repair our products free of charge” for anyone living in the areas where the Disaster Relief Act has been applied, until July 1. A support page (translated by Google) explaining this policy further states: “As a general rule, we will respond free of charge regardless of whether there is a warranty or not.”
With that said, the page also adds that some repairs might be “difficult” depending on what condition the product arrives in. In addition, repairs for the base model Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL (called the 3DS LL in Japan) are no longer accepted. The same goes for older Nintendo hardware, including the GameCube, Nintendo DS family, Game Boy family, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and more - you can check the full list here.
Earlier this month, both Square Enix and The Pokémon Company also announced 50 million yen donations to the Japanese Red Cross Society following the magnitude MJMA 7.6 earthquake on New Year's Day. According to a report page on the Japanese Red Cross Society website, as of yesterday (January 15) at 3pm local time, 221 deaths have been reported in Ishikawa prefecture, with 22 people still missing.
Even as the Nintendo Switch enters its seventh year, there are still plenty of upcoming Switch games planned for 2024.
