Nintendo Addresses Nintendo Switch 2 Game Prices

Since April 2’s big Nintendo Switch 2 showcase, the talk surrounding the new console hasn’t been about it’s features, specs, or even release date. Rather, the focus has been on the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 itself as well as—and in some cases more so—its game prices. Now, in a new interview with IGN, Nintendo is defending its decision to charge $80, or more in some regions, for its first-party titles.

During a sit down with IGN, Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Product and Player Experience, Bill Trinen was asked about the pricing decisions by the company. Right off the bat, Trinen justified the decision to charge $80 for Mario Kart World due to the game’s value to players.

“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?” he said.

“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.”

On the topic of other Nintendo Switch 2 games charging $80, Trinen, again, said it’s because of the value Nintendo sees in its games for players.

“[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?” Trinen 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.”

Regarding the $450 price of the console itself, Trinen said that it had to due with the cost of producing the system alongside the value it brought to players. IGN made it clear that the interview took place prior to Nintendo pulling pre-orders in the United States, leading to speculation that the cost of the system could go up.

What do you think of Nintendo’s response regarding the prices of Nintendo Switch 2 games?