Nintendo Teases Second US Store Opening Ahead of Switch 2 Launch

The San Francisco shop will join the New York location along with three stores in Japan. Will the May 15 opening in the Bay Area coincide with the Switch 2 launch?

​The San Francisco shop will join the New York location along with three stores in Japan. Will the May 15 opening in the Bay Area coincide with the Switch 2 launch?  Read More Technology

If you Google “Nintendo Shop,” you’ll find many results for the gaming giant’s digital storefront. However, the company also has a handful of brick-and-mortar locations, with a new one set to open its doors on the West Coast on May 15.

The San Francisco location will be the fifth Nintendo Store, and the second in the US; there’s another in New York City and three in Japan. “Located in San Francisco’s iconic Union Square at 331 Powell Street, Nintendo San Francisco is set to bring smiles to guests of all ages and visitors from near and far,” the company says.

Store hours, email, and phone number aren’t listed yet. Nintendo notes that guests who want to attend on day one will require a reservation; sign-ups will be accepted at a later date.

It’s possible this means the Switch 2 will launch on May 15, though Nintendo has not made any announcements. For now, we expect more details at an April 2 Nintendo Direct.

In addition to the usual stuff like Nintendo Switch games and consoles, the store will offer apparel, accessories, home goods, and souvenirs. Nintendo teased location-specific products. (Special events for things like next year’s Mario Day are likely, too.)

Per Nintendo’s FAQ, reservations aren’t required after the grand opening, although you can rent out the shop for special occasions. More details will drop in the next two months on the Nintendo Store’s X and Instagram accounts.

The location appears to have been vacant for several years. At one point, it housed a BCBGMAXAZRIA clothing store; that brand went bankrupt in 2017. According to ABC 7 Bay Area, the 11,000-square-foot retail space is part of the Westin Saint Francis Hotel next door.