A new investigative report from IGN paints a troubling picture of the state of customer support at Nintendo of America. According to the report, which cites multiple anonymous sources, the company is in the process of outsourcing its customer support services to agencies in South America, a move that has resulted in the termination of hundreds of long-term, experienced U.S.-based contractors.

The End of an Era for U.S.-Based Support

The report, based on accounts from sources “who spoke to us on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal,” describes a previously robust and well-trained customer support structure that has been dismantled. These contractors weren’t just handling simple queries; they managed a wide array of critical services, including:

• Fraud prevention and financial chargebacks
• Customer phone and email support
• Account bans and refunds
• Repair support and remote data transfers
• Back-office teams and chatlog analysis

Essentially, as one source put it, “everything customer support” is being moved overseas.

A Sudden Shift for Skilled Workers

Many of these contractors were highly skilled specialists who had worked with Nintendo’s unique systems for years under an 11-month contract cycle. This cycle traditionally allowed them to collect unemployment between contracts before being rehired, often with a pay raise.

This long-standing practice came to an abrupt halt in March. Contractors were informed their agreements were being cut short and would be phased out entirely by the end of September. IGN estimates around 200 workers are impacted by this decision. Perhaps most critically, these employees are reportedly not receiving severance pay.

Adding insult to injury, remaining contractors were tasked with a difficult final duty: training their own replacements.

The New Outsourced Model and Potential Pitfalls

Nintendo of America is now shifting this work to external partners primarily in Brazil, with some operations in Argentina and Nicaragua. While U.S. workers are providing some transitional assistance, the new teams in South America are reportedly already taking on full customer support cases.

This transition has not been smooth, according to IGN’s sources. The report highlights several significant concerns:

• Language Barriers: Communication issues are already causing problems.
• Less Rigorous Standards: Training and hiring standards for the new teams are reportedly not as stringent.
• Drop in Quality: There is a palpable fear among sources that this will lead to a noticeable decline in the quality of support for customers across the Americas.

Nintendo’s Response

When approached for comment, Nintendo of America provided IGN with a statement that acknowledged the partnership with external companies but pushed back on the report’s details.

The company’s full statement reads:

“While we have nothing to announce about our internal business activities, the claims shared with IGN include inaccurate information. At Nintendo of America, we are extremely thankful to have partnered with several companies and their talented contractors over the years to deliver high-quality customer service experiences. We continue to evolve and expand our customer service model with external partners that have deep experience in all the markets we serve across the Americas. This approach allows us to support the full scope of our customer service mission in both North America and our growing Latin American markets, and better scale to seasonal needs for consistent support. As always, our top priority is to provide excellent customer support, and we are pleased that customer satisfaction with the service provided by all our partners remains positive.”

Notably, Nintendo did not specify which claims were “inaccurate.”

Why This Matters for Fans

For the average player, customer support is often an invisible service—until you need it. Whether it’s recovering a hacked account, resolving a payment issue, or seeking help with a hardware repair, timely and effective support is crucial.

This report suggests that the knowledgeable, experienced support network that fans have relied on for years is being replaced by an untested, outsourced model plagued by internal issues. While Nintendo assures that customer satisfaction remains positive, the firsthand accounts from those inside the transition tell a different, more concerning story.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on whether this corporate decision impacts the player experience. Have you contacted Nintendo Support recently? Notice any difference? Let us know in the comments.

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Source: IGN
Disclaimer: NineInchSandwich is not affiliated with Nintendo. This report is based on third-party sources.