The console incurred additional charges due to the tariff system implemented during the Trump administration.
Panic, the software company behind the Playdate console, is issuing refunds to customers for any tariff fees incurred during the purchase of the device, as reported by a gaming publication. Following a Supreme Court ruling in February 2026 that deemed the previous tariff structure illegal, Panic, like many other companies, pursued a refund and chose not to retain the funds for itself.
In a communication to its customers, Panic explained, “When you ordered from us, we charged you for the tariff that the US government imposed on each Playdate we produced. We treated it like any other tax and included it as a separate line item during checkout.”
Panic
According to information from Panic’s help center, the company ceased imposing its original 19 percent tariff fee on new orders after April 21. The refunds were not processed until August, as the company needed to apply for and receive its own refund from the US government before establishing a system to return the excess funds to affected customers.
“It’s simply not our money to keep, and it felt great to return it,” said Panic CEO Cabel Sasser in an email. “This reinforces that we made the right choice.”
However, this stance is not one taken by many other firms. While Trump’s tariffs impacted nearly all electronics retailers in the US, few have offered refunds to their customers despite clear objections from some companies like Nintendo. Only certain shipping companies, such as FedEx, UPS, and DHL, have provided customers with refund options. This lack of responses from other businesses has drawn attention, leading to class-action lawsuits against companies like Amazon, Sony, and Nintendo for allegedly being obligated to refund these tariff fees.
