The Cherry era of keyboards might be at an end as the company pulls the plug on German manufacturing after a $23 million loss

Bad news for fans of Cherry keyboards. Although the company's actual keebs don't rank on our list of the best gaming keyboards, the switches are in a league of their own—or they used to be, at least.

However, Cherry seems to have fallen on hard times, with a net loss of $23 million (20.4 million euros) between January and the end of September 2025. This was with a turnover of nearly $82 million (70.7 million euros), leaving the company with more debt than equity.

The future of its Peripherals division is also uncertain, and that's why it's hard to predict what will even happen to these keyboards in the future.

According to Heise, Cherry is considering selling either its Peripherals division, which includes all its keyboards and mice, or the Digital Health & Solutions division.

Cherry dabbles in both the gaming and the office peripheral market, and both of those fall under that general "peripherals" umbrella. In fact, the company seems to have had big plans for the gaming market in the recent past, having taken over gaming peripheral company Xtrfy in 2022. Now, the entire division might be sold off again.

Cherry has already gone through a round of restructuring in 2024 (via Finanzwire), and it was the Peripherals division that got the axe back then, too.

The company's CFO, Jurjen Jongma, said: "Due to the group's low market capitalization and the current share price of Cherry below one euro, it is currently neither possible nor advisable to strengthen the group's equity in any way other than through strategic mergers & acquisitions options."

Cherry switches are safe for now, though. They fall under the Components division, which doesn't appear to be in any danger of being sold—but it faces other challenges.

Udo Streller, COO at Cherry, announced that it's shuttering its switch production in Auerbach, Germany. It's now being outsourced to China and Slovakia, while the Auerbach location will serve as a "service hub" for Cherry.

Cherry had a patent on its iconic Cherry MX design, but it expired in 2014. This has put Cherry in a difficult position, as other companies have picked up the design and iterated on it, including factory grease or oil lubrication right from the factory.

Cherry was also late to the party with Hall effect switches. Too much competition and a fairly slow post-pandemic gaming peripheral market seem to have taken their toll on Cherry.

What does this mean for the future? It's all quite unclear. If Cherry does end up selling its Peripherals division, it's likely that whichever company buys it will still keep making keyboards. Whether they'll be the exact same thing or something new remains to be seen. Cherry's switch production remains as it was, although outsourced.

Best gaming keyboard 2025

1. Best overall:
Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless

2. Best budget:
Gamakay x Naughshark NS68

3. Best mid-range:
Ducky Zero 6108

4. Best rapid trigger:
Wooting 80HE

5. Best wireless rapid trigger:
Keychron K2 HE

6. Best silent:
Be Quiet! Light Mount

7. Best tenkeyless:
Keychron Q3 Max

8. Best low profile:
NuPhy Air60 HE

9. Best ergonomic:
Kinesis Freestyle Edge RGB

10. Best membrane:
Roccat Magma

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