When Nintendo launched the original Switch back in 2017, the company faced a challenge that’s become all too familiar to modern retailers: bots and resellers snapping up inventory before real customers even had a chance. Fast-forward to 2025, and with the highly anticipated release of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo came prepared—with a smarter, more resilient approach to fight back against price gougers and level the playing field for genuine fans.

The Price Gouging Problem: A Modern Retail Nightmare

Bots have become a persistent threat in online commerce, particularly around high-demand product releases. These automated tools can complete purchases faster than any human, allowing some opportunistic individuals to hoard inventory and resell at inflated prices on secondary marketplaces. For consumers, this creates frustration. For brands, it means damaged reputation and a disconnect from their core audience.

The launch of the Switch 2 could have easily been another textbook example of bots dominating the market—but Nintendo took decisive steps to turn the tide.

Nintendo’s Playbook Against Bots and Price Gouging

Nintendo adopted a multi-layered strategy to protect the Switch 2 launch, including:

• Verified-Only Preorders: Nintendo partnered with select retailers to offer a verified customer program, allowing users to sign up early and be invited to purchase. Accounts were screened for purchase history and region, making it harder for bots to fake legitimacy.

• Randomized Queues: Some retailers, at Nintendo’s direction, implemented randomized queue systems during peak sales periods. This helped level the playing field by giving all users a fair shot, regardless of how fast they clicked.

• Bot Mitigation Technology: Retailers enhanced their fraud detection capabilities, flagging suspicious behavior like rapid-fire cart additions, multiple account creation, or unusually fast checkouts.

• In-Store Priority Reservations: Nintendo also leaned on physical retail by allowing fans to reserve their consoles in-store with ID verification, putting a hard barrier between price gouging and stock.

While no system is perfect, the result was a significantly smoother rollout compared to prior high-demand tech launches. Reports of price gouging were down, legitimate customers had a fairer chance, and Nintendo avoided the PR pitfalls that often follow bot-dominated launches.

What Retailers Can Learn—and How QueueDB Can Help

Nintendo’s approach proves a key point: when retailers invest in intelligent, customer-first systems, they can fight back against automation abuse and price gouging. But not every retailer has Nintendo-level infrastructure or influence to orchestrate such a multi-pronged defense.

That’s where QueueDB comes in.

QueueDB offers a streamlined, robust virtual queueing system designed to protect product launches and high-demand moments from bots and resellers. With features like:

• Rate limiting and bot detection

• Randomized waitlists and verified access

• Real-time queue analytics and fraud prevention

• Customizable access flows for different product tiers or customer groups

QueueDB gives retailers a turnkey solution to ensure fairness, reduce frustration, and restore trust in the buying experience. If your next price gouging and bots.