Summary
Mario Kart Worldshocked fans when its $80 price tag was announced, but Nintendo has now explained why it’s charging so much for the title. The Switch 2’s cost drew a lot of attention after Nintendo finally confirmed a $150 increase over the original Switch, but it was the system’s games that incited the most controversy. While Nintendo was slower than other AAA studios to put a $70 price tag on its first-party games,Mario Kart Worldis pushing things even further, and the company believes the game deserves the jump in expense.
While Nintendo didn’t reveal any pricing information during its lengthy April 2 Direct, the official prices on its website following the presentation were an unpleasant surprise to some. The site confirmed thatMario Kart Worldwill cost $80for the digital version and $90 for a physical copy. Not all Switch 2 titles will be so expensive, withDonkey Kong Bananzaasking for the industry standard of $70, but fans were quick to call outMario Kartand the console’s paid next-gen updates for being too pricey.
Inan interview with IGN, Nintendo of America’s VP of Product and Player Experience Bill Trinen clarified why the company is charging so much. According to Trinen, the $80 asking price is less about a game-specific strategy and more because Nintendo bases its prices on what the game’s experience and content demands in terms of value. Trinen said that the latestMario Kartis “so big and so vast” that $80 is a fair price in light of how much players have to discover within the game. The trailer made it seem thatMario Kart Worldcould have aBreath of the Wildeffectby reinventing the series in an open-world format, which does suggest a lot of content. Still,Breath of the Wilddid not come with a price increase over previousZeldatitles, so some fans will likely still be upset about the cost, regardless of the content.
Nintendo of America Exec Says Mario Kart World’s Content and Experiences Justify $80
These statements make it seem like Nintendo is unlikely to bow to public pressure when it comes to its next-gen pricing. Some games, likeDonkey Kong,will still be just $70, while fans can likely expect plenty of $80 Switch titles, too. Regardless of what Nintendo believes about these games' value, though, its pricing strategy remains unpopular among fans and industry professionals alike. Former Blizzard exec Mike Ybarra joined players incriticizing the Switch 2’s price and performanceafter the Direct, and ex-Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida said the costs surprised him, but Nintendo remains firm in its decision.
