In a recent interview, Nintendo justified the price of the Switch 2 and its Mario Kart World, offering initial answers to fans who remained confused. These words raise several questions about the prices of the console's next big hits.
Switch 2, Mario Kart World, how does Nintendo justify its prices?
The Switch 2 at 469.99 euros, and a Mario Kart World that tops out at 90 euros (in physical version). Two announcements that caused a stir at the end of the Nintendo Direct on April 2nd. Coming out of the conference, players raised their pitchforks to express their dissatisfaction with these prices, deemed exorbitant. Prices close to those of a PS5 and its AAA games, which contrast with the accessibility always emphasized by Nintendo and its historic family atmosphere.
And it's not the console's more powerful hardware, this 1080p OLED screen, its ray-tracing support, and more simply put, this promise of enhanced graphics that will serve as justification for a very disappointed community. Nor is it a game that is certainly more beautiful, and that brings refreshing new mechanics, but far from the biggest AAA games that the video game industry offers today.
Nintendo explains its pricing
Yet, this is the argument put forward by Nintendo at the end of this conference. We were expecting an answer, here it is. Nintendo America President Doug Bowser spoke about players' fears to the Washington Post. While inflation and customs duties undoubtedly weighed in the balance, Doug Bowser revealed that Mario Kart World offers a quantity of content and a quality of experience that justifies its price positioning. The same goes for the price of the Switch 2: "The Switch 2 represents a significant technological leap. We sought to maintain a balance between power, innovation and a reasonable price for the widest possible audience."
Nevertheless, Doug Bowser warns that the price of a game will be set "based on its production, its budget, its ambitions, its durability and the different gameplay mechanics." Therefore, we should expect a fairly wide price range depending on all these factors. Understand: the budget for Mario Kart World (which we don't know) is probably quite high. Nintendo sees it as an ultra-ambitious game that will accompany players for years, even a decade.
Zelda, Mario 3D, games for 90 euros?
Despite All in all, these arguments seem too weak for players who argue, for example, that a Mario Kart World is not of the caliber of a narrative triple A like The Last of Us Part 2, and that consequently its price is not justifiable.
This raises the question of the price of the next games not announced by the Kyoto-based firm (see our list right here). A next Mario 3D, a new Super Smash Bros. as well as a future The Legend of Zelda. Given the impact of the biggest Nintendo licenses on the industry and players, we imagine that Big N will not hesitate to offer prices similar to that of Mario Kart World.
With such proposed prices, one question comes up insistently. Who is the console really aimed at? Also, Will Nintendo be able to justify these prices in the long term? To answer this question, we will probably have to wait for the first players who agree to put these prices on the table to come back, to have some initial answers.
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