Panic refunds Trump tariff costs to Playdate customers

Indie game publisher Panic is refunding customers who paid additional costs due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. The company had previously passed these costs on to consumers because of low profit margins on its Playdate handheld device.

The refunds are being issued after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that the tariffs were illegal and ordered the administration to refund companies that had paid them. Panic announced this week that it has started receiving the tariff refunds and has subsequently refunded all such charges to its customers.

When the tariffs were in effect, Panic stated it could not absorb the 19 percent import tax on Playdate hardware due to its tight margins. The cost was therefore added as a separate line item to customer orders at the time.

This approach contrasted with other companies, such as Nintendo, which cited "market conditions" and "uncertainty" when adjusting prices for hardware and accessories.