Nintendo of America Faces NLRB Complaints Naming Aston Carter, Teksystems

Nintendo of America is facing a cluster of National Labor Relations Board complaints that name the publisher alongside outside staffing firms Aston Carter and Teksystems and allege unlawful discipline, discharge, and work rules that curb protected employee activity. Game File reports the most recent December/January complaints led to signed charging letters dated January 7 in the NLRB database and were assigned to Region 19 in Seattle.

A complaint filed on August 7 lists Nintendo of America and staffing provider Aston Carter as joint employers and alleges the company imposed "coercive rules" and engaged in "retaliation, discharge, and discipline" against a contractor for discussing wages and working conditions, Justin Carter at GameDeveloper wrote. GameDeveloper reproduced NLRB statutory language accusing an employer of violating 8(a)(1) by discharging employees "because the employee(s) engaged in protected concerted activities" and of maintaining rules that "prohibit employees from discussing wages, hours, or other terms or conditions of employment."

Separate filings reported in late December 2025 and early January 2026 name Nintendo and contractor Teksystems and list alleged violations of NLRA sections 8(a)(1) and 8(a)(4), Ethan Gach at Kotaku and Game File coverage state. Media reports show differing filing dates—December 9, December 17, and January 6 appear across outlets—but Game File notes both complaints produced charging letters dated January 7 in the NLRB database, indicating the agency’s administrative action in Region 19.

These new complaints land against a backdrop of earlier labor conflict: an April 2022 anonymous NLRB complaint named Nintendo of America and Aston Carter, and a 2022 case involving QA tester MacKenzie Clifton ended in a settlement reported at $25,910 by GamesIndustry.biz (Kotaku rounded that figure to $26,000). Clifton, who worked on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and other titles, told Game File in 2022 they believed their contract was cut short after mentioning unionization to then‑president Doug Bowser; GamesIndustry.biz reports Nintendo denied firing was due to union efforts and said Clifton had disclosed "confidential information."

Reporting across outlets describes a recurring pattern of contingent workers feeling exploited at NoA, with staffing firms like Aston Carter and Teksystems routinely used for game‑testing and customer service roles and contractors lacking full‑time benefits. Staffingindustry/Axios coverage from May 2022 highlighted internal pushback and an internal Doug Bowser email acknowledging leadership was reviewing media coverage at the time.

As the NLRB proceedings proceed in Region 19, public filings remain light on detail and several outlets reported Nintendo and Teksystems did not respond to requests for comment. GamesIndustry.biz included corporate context noting Switch 2 sales of 10.36 million units and a reported 110% jump in net sales with a 19.5% rise in operating profits, underscoring the broader commercial picture as labor complaints accumulate.