Playdate Maker Panic Refunds $12.36 Tariff Rebate to Customers
Panic, the company behind the crank-equipped handheld console Playdate, is automatically refunding $12.36 to customers as a share of tariff rebates it received from the U.S. government. The rebate follows a Supreme Court ruling against the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, which had led Panic to raise the Playdate's price. The refunds are expected to land in customer accounts within a few days. Panic's Cabel Sasser told Game Developer, "Simply put, this is not money we should keep." The company acknowledged that processing the rebate and building the refund system took significant work, and Neven Mrgan noted on Bluesky that Panic lost sales after the announcement, but everyone agreed refunding customers was right. Panic explained that the Playdate's low hardware profit margins meant it could not absorb the tariff costs itself. The move contrasts with major companies like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, which are keeping similar rebates. Nintendo, for instance, reflected roughly $300 million in tariff rebates in its earnings, and consumers have filed class action lawsuits alleging double-dipping when companies both profit from higher prices and retain the rebates.