The United States and China have been engaging in intense trade negotiations for quite some time now. Both sides have attempted to get the upper hand by raising tariffs on the other, and the situation is still escalating. Unfortunately, there’s a very real chance that the video game industry will be caught in the crossfire. The Office of the United States Trade Representative has just published the list of newly-proposed import taxes. The list comes at the behest of United States President Donald Trump. A quick search reveals that video game consoles are on the list.
Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony all manufacture many of their products in Chinese plants. If these new tariffs pass, all of those parts will be hit with a 25% import tax. The current price is 10%, so that’s a pretty steep increase. Gamers could end up paying the price in the form of more expensive consoles and computer parts.
The Entertainment Software Association has weighed in, expressing their disapproval.
"The video game industry boasts a trade surplus for the American economy. Tariffs will hurt the American economy, its industries, and its consumers."
Last edited by walterbates - on 24 May 2019
