Labour Lens

8BitDo

Lacks transparency

Lacks transparency. Shows little about where or how its products are made.

Electronics

Little disclosed: what this means

Last researched 3 November 2026 · 3 sources

Shenzhen maker of retro-styled game controllers, arcade sticks and keyboards.

We couldn't find where 8BitDo makes most of its game controllers and keyboards, a certification covering its range or a list of its suppliers.

Also worth knowing

Most electronics are made in countries such as China and Vietnam, where pay is usually below a living wage.

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Why it's graded Lacks transparency

  • Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
  • Holds the grade back: It has 3 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production, probably in high-risk countries and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
  • It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
  • Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.

How grades are decided

Good requirements 1 of 6

  • Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
  • Not met: Respects worker rightsWhere electronics are usually made, such as China and Malaysia, unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
  • Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
  • Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
  • Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
  • Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine

Red flags 3

  • Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
  • Red flag: Probably made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
  • Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
  • Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)

Stars it would earn as Good

None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars

Where it's made

Not confirmed

We couldn't confirm where 8BitDo makes most of its products, so this shows where electronics are usually made.

Where it's made, share by country, and conditions there
CountryShareWorker rightsLegal minimum wageForced labour risk
China55%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
Vietnam15%Systematic violationsWell below a living wageModerate
Taiwan10%Strong protectionsClose to a living wageLow
Malaysia8%No guarantee of rightsBelow a living wageModerate
South Korea7%No guarantee of rightsClose to a living wageLow
India5%No guarantee of rightsWell below a living wageHigh

Evidence

What we found

  • Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining carry child and forced labour risk (DR Congo, Indonesia), and assembly overtime is widespread.
  • Relies on metals such as cobalt, gold and tin from artisanal mines where miners, including children, face toxic dust, mercury exposure and deadly tunnel collapses. It hasn't shown any steps to trace these materials to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.

Research notes 8BitDo does not say who makes its products or where; it is based in Shenzhen and ships orders from a warehouse in China. It publishes no supplier list, supplier code of conduct, modern slavery statement, conflict minerals report or audit results, and is not covered by labour rights benchmarks.

What independent sources say

SourceResultDetails
KnowTheChainNot coveredNot assessed in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT benchmark, which covers larger ICT companies. View

Sources and actions

Sources 3

Show all 3 sources
  1. 8BitDo backs down after blaming tariffs (Tom's Hardware, May 2025) · search the archive · 8BitDo ships from a China warehouse; paused US shipments in 2025 citing tariffs
  2. 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Bluetooth Controller (JB Hi-Fi) · search the archive · 8BitDo products sold at JB Hi-Fi in Australia
  3. 8BitDo (Wikipedia) · search the archive · Private company founded in Shenzhen, China in 2013; controllers, keyboards, mice; licensed Xbox products

Company details

Headquarters
China
Last researched
3 November 2026
Cite this page
Labour Lens, "Is 8BitDo ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/8bitdo, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
Method
Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means

Better-graded laptops and computers

2 refurbished sellers, Good by ruleBuying second-hand or refurbished: Back Market and Reebelo · See them allGoodRaspberry PiMissing: a full independent supply chain audit, where its earlier stages happen and 2 more · ElectronicsLow-cost single-board computersPays or is working towards a living wage, with gaps still to close.On TrackPartly verified

No laptops and computers brand selling new goods is Good yet. This is the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.

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Something missing or wrong?

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