Ethan Carter
The Playdate console incurred additional tariff fees during the Trump administration’s previously deemed unlawful tariff policy.
Panic, the software publisher and creator of the Playdate console, is proactively refunding customers for any US tariff fees they incurred when purchasing the device, as reported by Game Developer. The Supreme Court’s ruling in February 2026 deemed the Trump administration’s tariff policy illegal, prompting Panic, alongside other companies, to seek reimbursement. unlike many of its counterparts, Panic is returning those funds to its customers instead of retaining them.
“When you ordered from us, we charged you for the tariff imposed by the US government for each Playdate we produced,” Panic stated in a communication to its customers regarding the refunds. “We considered it a tax and included it as a separate line item at checkout.”
Panic
As outlined in its help center, Panic ceased applying the previous 19 percent tariff fee to new orders after April 21. The company required several months to process refunds, as it needed to apply for and receive its refund from the US government, followed by establishing a system to issue refunds to the affected Playdate customers.
“It’s simply not our money to keep, and it felt rewarding to return it,” expressed Panic CEO Cabel Sasser in an email to Game Developer. “This reinforces that we made the right choice.”
Nonetheless, this is a decision that few other companies have opted for. The tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump impacted a vast majority of electronics retailers in the US, and while many, including Nintendo, voiced their concerns, most have yet to consider refunding their customers. Currently, shipping giants like FedEx, UPS, and DHL are among the rare companies offering customers a means to reclaim their funds. This lack of action has not gone unnoticed, as Amazon, Sony, and Nintendo are all facing class-action lawsuits that assert their legal obligation to refund customers for tariff fees.
Daniel Mercer
