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

Amid the ongoing backlash to Nintendo's shock pricing for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers have described the situation as "a true crisis moment for Nintendo."

In a recent video on their YouTube channel, former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang expressed strong criticism toward Nintendo for how it unveiled the $449.99 price of the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price of Mario Kart World. "I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo," Ellis stated.

Mario Kart World isn’t the only Nintendo Switch 2 game priced at $79.99. Other titles, such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, also carry this price tag. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial video game experience, Welcome Tour, which fans believe should be a free pack-in, similar to Astro's Playroom which comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5 console and serves as a free tech demo for the DualSense controller.

The outrage over the pricing has even impacted Nintendo's Treehouse livestreams, with viewers flooding the chat with demands to "DROP THE PRICE."

Ellis and Yang were particularly critical of the way Nintendo revealed the price of the Switch 2 and its games. They highlighted the lack of pricing information in the Direct presentation as a "deliberate" omission, leading to confusion and misinformation as fans sought pricing details elsewhere.

Nintendo Switch 2 System and Accessories Gallery

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Yang claimed that the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World pricing was "intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason," but criticized the execution, saying, "It's handled poorly in terms of the information being scattered across different places, expecting fans or consumers to piece it all together."

Ellis added, "It just shows some disrespect to the consumer, where, ‘oh, you just saw the Direct, you’re so excited, you’re just gonna throw your money at us blindly, you’re not going to even ask the question of how much it costs because you’re so excited, aren’t you?’"

Yang echoed this sentiment, stating, "It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer."

The former NOA communications staff further discussed Nintendo's failure to address the pricing concern, either through a public statement or in interviews with the press. This absence, they noted, has allowed rampant speculation and misinformation to proliferate.

"They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control," Yang said. "They have lost control of this," Ellis added.

Ellis and Yang suggested that Nintendo now lacks the consumer mindfulness it once had, following the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata.

According to Yang, Nintendo's communications team will recommend the company release an official statement, though the approval process will be complex and involve many stakeholders before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa.

The company is also out of practice in addressing its community and the press, having not faced such negativity since the Nintendo 3DS price debacle of 2011, according to the pair.

There is now concern for staff at the public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions. Fans may pose reasonable questions, and any responses given by staff could be interpreted online as Nintendo’s official stance.

What happens next remains uncertain, but neither Ellis nor Yang expect a price drop for the Switch 2 or its games before launch.

For more information, check out 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.