The Trump administration’s plan to further raise tariffs on products imported from China has gained yet another opponent—the gaming industry. The world’s largest game console makers, including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, have recently published a joint letter voicing their concerns on the impact of potential tariff hikes.
The companies asked for game consoles to be exempt from the tariffs, citing the reason that over 96% of video game consoles imported to and sold in the United States last year were made in China.
The US government has proposed a new round of tariffs on USD 200 billion worth of Chinese imports. Video game consoles would face a 25% levy.
The tariffs on video game consoles would hurt consumers, game developers, retailers, and console manufacturers, the companies said in the letter. They would also “put thousands of high-value, rewarding US jobs at risk” because it would “significantly disrupt” the companies’ business and “depress sales of game consoles,” which could “translate into reduced support for developers.”
In all, the three companies currently employ nearly 8,000 people across the United States, and US game publishers employ more than 65,000 workers in the country.
“[T]hese tariffs would have a ripple effect of harm that extends throughout the video game ecosystem,” the companies said.