For Nintendo enthusiasts in Japan, April 24, 2025, marks a significant date. On this day, Nintendo planned to unveil the winners of the Switch 2 pre-order lottery through the My Nintendo Store. However, due to an overwhelming surge in traffic, the My Nintendo Store website had to be temporarily taken offline for maintenance. Amid this excitement, Nintendo issued an urgent warning to its fans about circulating phishing emails that falsely claim to notify recipients of their lottery results for the Switch 2.
The pre-order lottery for the Switch 2 in Japan opened on April 2, with winners set to receive their consoles on the launch date, June 5. In a message from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, it was revealed that an astonishing 2.2 million people entered the first lottery, 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 check the outcomes led to Nintendo taking the site offline. This chaos was exploited by scammers who sent out fake lottery results, tricking eager fans. Japanese-speaking users on X have been proactive in sharing screenshots of these fraudulent emails, highlighting various scams designed to deceive fans. These phishing emails typically feature a subject line like “You have won the Switch 2 lottery,” which could easily excite any Nintendo fan. The emails often include links to LINE messenger or suspicious URLs, urging immediate action to secure the coveted console. The scams vary in sophistication, from obvious fakes filled with emojis to more subtle ones with minor errors such as misspellings in the email addresses and non-Japanese URLs.
In response, the official warning from the Japanese Nintendo Support account clarified: “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 also provided an update on the Switch 2's release-day delivery, warning those who registered interest in buying from My Nintendo Store that delivery by the June 5 release date cannot be guaranteed. This means that some invitation emails might arrive after the console's launch. However, Nintendo assures that the shipping date will be confirmed upon purchase. Given the high demand, Nintendo suggests that fans might have a better chance of securing a Switch 2 at launch by pre-ordering from third-party retailers, despite pre-orders selling out quickly after going live overnight.
The challenges faced by fans trying to pre-order the Switch 2 on April 24, along with Nintendo's warnings, indicate that obtaining the next-gen console around its launch will be a formidable task.
According to a FAQ posted on Nintendo’s website, the first batch of invitations for the My Nintendo Store in the U.S. will be sent starting May 8, 2025. Further batches will be sent periodically until pre-ordering is open to everyone. The initial invitations will be sent on a first-come, first-serve basis to those who meet specific priority criteria. Recipients 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.
