Foreign Payment Option Being Cut From the Japanese eShop

One of the more enjoyable aspects of Nintendo Switch has been the ability for players to create eShop logins for different regions around the world. This allowed for greater and easier access to games from different parts of the world without having to be entirely dependent upon official localizations. Sure, that meant having to know the language of whichever country the player was buying games from, but it sure beat having zero access entirely.

Well, those days are seemingly numbered as Nintendo has announced that it will be cutting off foreign credit cards and PayPal accounts from the Japanese Switch eShop. Nintendo alleges that the motivation for this change was to “prevent the fraudulent use” of these accounts, but offers no insight into what that use might be. Nintendo advises consumers to ” use other payment methods, such as credit cards issued in Japan.” Which, of course, it a lot easier said than done for those who live in the US and other regions outside of the country.

The more worrying aspect of this move is the idea that Nintendo is simply trying to restrict content that non-Japanese players have access to. It wouldn’t be the first time that Nintendo’s censorious nature has reared its head, including recent times with the changing or outright omission of content in games like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and others. If players are going through the trouble to make informed purchasing choices and buy games through foreign eShop portals, it seems strange to put an end to that.

For those who do buy from the Japanese eShop, you’ll have until March 25, 2025 to make any more purchases. Will this move be impacting you? Share your thoughts on the matter below and online.

Source: Nintendo Support Page