Switch 2 and Mario Kart World Pricing Sparks Crisis for Nintendo, Say Ex-PR Managers

Amidst the ongoing backlash to Nintendo's surprising pricing strategy for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers have labeled the situation as “a true crisis moment for Nintendo.”

In a video on their YouTube channel, Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, both former PR managers at Nintendo of America, expressed strong criticism towards Nintendo's approach to announcing the $449.99 price for the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price for Mario Kart World. “I don’t want to exaggerate, but this does feel like a genuine crisis for Nintendo,” Ellis remarked.

Mario Kart World is not the only game on the Switch 2 to carry a $79.99 price tag. Other titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also come with this higher price point. Moreover, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial game, Welcome Tour, which fans argue should be a complimentary addition. For instance, Astro's Playroom is provided free with every PlayStation 5, doubling as a tech demo for the DualSense controller.

The discontent over pricing has even disrupted Nintendo’s Treehouse livestreams, with viewers flooding the chat with demands to “DROP THE PRICE.”

Ellis and Yang were particularly vocal about Nintendo's method of revealing the prices for the Switch 2 and its games. They criticized the omission of pricing details during the Direct presentation as a deliberate move that led to confusion and the spread of misinformation as fans sought pricing information elsewhere.

Nintendo Switch 2 System and Accessories Gallery

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Yang suggested that the pricing information was "intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason," but noted that the way it was handled led to fans and consumers struggling to piece together the information from various sources. “It just shows some disrespect to the consumer,” Ellis added, suggesting that Nintendo assumed fans would be too excited to question the costs.

Yang further stated that this approach was "a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer." The former NOA communications staff highlighted Nintendo's failure to address the pricing concerns publicly or through the press, which allowed speculation and misinformation to dominate the narrative.

“They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control,” Yang noted, with Ellis adding, “They have lost control of this.”

Ellis and Yang attributed Nintendo's current predicament to a lack of consumer mindfulness, a quality they felt the company had under former NOA president Reggie Fils-Aimé and the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

The former PR managers suggested that Nintendo's communications team should push for an official statement, but warned that the approval process would be challenging, involving numerous stakeholders before reaching current Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa. They also pointed out that Nintendo is out of practice in engaging with its community and the press, having not dealt with such negativity since the 2011 Nintendo 3DS price controversy.

Concerns were raised about the potential for staff at Switch 2 demo stations to face tough questions from fans at public events. Any response from these staff members could be misconstrued online as Nintendo's official stance.

As for what's next, neither Ellis nor Yang anticipate a price reduction for the Switch 2 or its games before launch.

For further insights, explore everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and what the experts have to say about the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.