And players are making their frustration very clear: the YouTube chat for Treehouse, the online event where Nintendo showcases the Switch 2 games in more detail, is jammed with viewers demanding a price drop! So much so that it's the only message that sticks out - and not the quality of the games and the console, blurring the message the company wants to convey.
A cold shower for gamers
Nintendo's approach is all the more surprising given that the first-generation Switch has become, by default, the console for young gamers. With a price tag of around €300, it's a relatively easy gift to give for Christmas or a birthday. At €470, parents and grandparents will probably think twice!
Nevertheless, it's now possible to pre-order the Switch 2 for around €440 from retailers in France. The hunt for bargains has only just begun.
Beyond the price of the console, it's the price of the games that really catches the imagination. €80 for the digital version of Mario Kart World, €90 for the physical cartridge: this is unprecedented for Nintendo, but also for the rest of the industry (apart from special editions). And a very bad signal sent to gamers and their wallets: Nintendo is breaking the glass ceiling that prevented other publishers from significantly increasing the prices of their games. The basic version of GTA VI at €100 or more is no longer out of the question.
Added to all this is Nintendo's stinginess, which has decided to charge for Welcome Tour, a guided tour of the Switch 2 that includes a handful of mini-games. The quality of the application is not in question, but many expected it to be delivered by default and free with each console, like Astro's Playroom on the PS5... or Wii Sports with the Wii, or even Tetris with the Game Boy! The price of this giant tutorial in Europe or the United States is unknown, but it will sell for the equivalent of €6 in Japan.
The opacity of the prices is another problem. Nintendo was careful not to reveal anything during the Direct, leaving it up to players to find the information on their own. The shock was even greater when I discovered the prices of the games... and the price of the console in Japan, which will cost the equivalent of €313 in a version limited to the Japanese language!
It's Nintendo's way of responding to the weak yen, but it's infuriating for gamers in the rest of the world. Duolingo has also not failed to capitalize on the issue by reminding us that you can save money by learning Japanese...
To make matters worse, the communication on prices is not synchronized. It is impossible to know the European price of Switch 1 games optimized for the Switch 2, while we know that it will be around $70 to $80 in the United States.
How can we explain Nintendo's voracity? The manufacturer probably doesn't want to cut into its margins, and it is undeniable that the Switch 2 is technically much more advanced and ambitious than the Switch 1. Inflation has been there, and there is the question of customs tariffs that cast a dark cloud over consumer electronics. Nintendo has also had to urgently postpone the launch of pre-orders in the United States...
But for games, we're still looking for a justification, while Nintendo traditionally sells its AAA games at €60. Except that the manufacturer can afford it, knowing that Mario Kart World will inevitably be a commercial success...
Gamers don't want to be fleeced
Will this gamer revolt be heard by Nintendo? There's no doubt about it, say Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, two former employees of the manufacturer's US branch who organized the famous "Nintendo Minute" for 8 years, well known to fans. After their departure, they continue to talk about their former employer, freed from the leaden blanket of official discourse.
In their latest podcast, Kit & Krysta reveal the existence of a "war room" at Nintendo of America, which monitors what is being said about Nintendo and the Switch 2. According to Krysta, the company's brains would be surprised by the knee-jerk reaction of players to Nintendo's price offensive. Management must have expected the pricing issue to be a controversial topic, but the protest goes far beyond simple controversy: that's all that's remembered.
The immediate problem facing Nintendo is how to respond to this wave of discontent. The company's current structure, where all communication is locked down by the Kyoto headquarters, is not suited to quickly extinguishing a fire. Nintendo has had it easy for the past 8 years, as the manufacturer sailed from success to success with the Switch 1. If it wants to turn the launch of the Switch 2 into a success, it will probably have to address players' concerns... and make a move?
After all, Nintendo was able to react quickly to prevent the 3DS from going under: barely 5 months after the console's release, the company significantly reduced the price of the console and offered 20 games to those who had purchased it. But that was in 2011: the lesson of humility learned the hard way back then may have been forgotten today.
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