NEWS

Nintendo Defends $80 Price for Switch 2’s Exclusive Mario Kart World, Addressing Backlash Over Cost in Initial Statement

ranzware

4 days ago

Add comment

7 min read

FacebookXRedditPinterestEmailLinkedInWhatsAppvKontakte

Nintendo has insisted Mario Kart World justifies its shock $80 price tag in response to controversy over the $10 hike for some Switch 2 games.

Last week’s Nintendo Direct revealed the Switch 2 and launch title Mario Kart World, but it was not until after the showcase ended that the price for both products was confirmed.

The Switch 2, out June 5, currently costs $449.99 — although Trump’s tariffs, which have already delayed pre-orders in the U.S., may cause Nintendo to hike the price. The real shock, though, is that Mario Kart World costs $79.99 — $10 higher than the most expensive Nintendo-published game on Switch, Tears of the Kingdom.

It’s worth pointing out that Nintendo is bundling Mario Kart World with a Nintendo Switch 2 for $499.99, cutting the cost of the game by a huge $30 in the process. However, Nintendo has indicated this bundle is a limited-time offer, and it remains to be seen if the bundle holds at $500, given the uncertainty surrounding the tariff situation and Nintendo’s pre-order delay in the U.S.

But Mario Kart World isn’t the only Nintendo Switch 2 game to cost $80 — some of the Switch 2 Edition games announced during the Nintendo Direct also cost $79.99, such as Kirby and The Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World, Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

These Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games improve upon their original Switch versions in various ways. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, for example, gain additional support for the Zelda Notes service in the Nintendo Switch App that provides game help. They also have achievements on Switch 2.

IGN has plenty of reaction to Nintendo’s jump to $80 for the Switch 2 generation, including from analysts who have helped us understand why this has happened. But what does Nintendo have to say about it? IGN interviewed Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen, at a recent Switch 2 preview event in New York, to ask about Nintendo’s pricing strategy for Mario Kart World to find out.

We need to point out here that our interview with Trinen was conducted on April 3, 2025, prior to Nintendo’s announcement about delaying Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. due to the potential impact of tariffs.

Nintendo Switch 2 Game Boxes

In his response, Trinen insisted Mario Kart world justifies its price tag, and pointed to the upcoming dedicated Mario Kart World Nintendo Direct where fans will learn more about the game and what it has to offer.

“I would say it’s less about the strategy of pricing Mario Kart World, it’s more just whenever we look at a given game, we just look at what is the experience, and what’s the content, and what’s the value?” Trinen said.

“Mario Kart World, I think especially as you see from the Nintendo Direct, not to give you any hints or anything, but I did read your article this morning and I think you had mentioned that you didn’t find a lot to discover when roaming around. So I would say tune into our Mario Kart Direct to see what, maybe you’ll be able to find out about that.

“But honestly, this is a game that is so big and so vast and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there’s still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they’re going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they’ve ever had.”

We also asked Trinen about the $80 cost of some of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games. While there is a $10 upgrade path for existing owners of these games on the Switch, and both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition ($69.99) and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition ($79.99) are available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, Nintendo is not offering any sort of discount to newcomers on Switch 2.

Trinen’s answer here echoed his Mario Kart World response, pointing to the value Nintendo sees in its games.

“Well, again, what I would say is that we just look at each individual game and we look at the content and the value of that game, and then we say, ‘what is the right price for the value of this entertainment?’ ” he said.

“What I would probably counter to some of that is that really what you’re looking at is for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, that’s the physical price for somebody that has not bought the base game. For somebody who has bought Tears of the Kingdom or Breath of the Wild, the upgrade packs for those are $9.99. And if you happen to be a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member, both of the Zelda upgrade packs are inclusive within that membership. So there’s no additional charge for those.

“But I think overall, our general approach is really just focus on what’s the content, what’s the value, and what’s an appropriate price based on that.”

What Trinen is saying here is that Nintendo believes its next-generation push is worth a price hike when you consider what the video games themselves have to offer. And that’s a point echoed by Piers Harding-Rolls, Research Director, Games at Ampere Analysis. He told IGN Nintendo has form when it comes to going high for the cost of its games.

“Nintendo has a bit of a history of pricing games higher than other platforms when coming to the market later than other platforms – in this case PS5 and Xbox Series,” he said.

“I remember back in the day N64 titles being more than PS1 titles for example. Some of that is related to cost of goods, but Nintendo also likes to follow its own approach and price based on its own appreciation of value.”

As for the current $450 price tag of the Switch 2 itself, Trinen again pointed to value, but also highlighted the increasing costs associated with releasing a video game console.

“Obviously the cost of everything goes up over time, and I personally would love if the cost of things didn’t go up over time,” he told IGN.

“But I think any time you’re building a new system that’s got new features and new tech, there’s costs associated with that. So again, we look at what is the experience on Nintendo Switch? What’s the experience on Nintendo Switch 2? What are the new features that it offers? And certainly there’s the cost of goods and things that factor into that, but we try to find the right appropriate price for a product based on that.”

As IGN has reported, some Nintendo fans have expressed concern that they may be priced out of the next-generation if the company goes even higher than the already controversial prices for the Switch 2 and its games such as Mario Kart World due to the tariff situation.

What is increasingly clear, however, is that despite calls from the community for Nintendo to drop the price, the Switch 2 and its games are much more likely to get even more expensive than cheaper in the United States.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.