Summary
- Nintendo claims that Mario Kart World’s content justifies its $80 price tag.
- However, many are still criticizing the company for its lack of transparency during the recent Direct.
- It’s unlikely that Nintendo will alter its pricing despite the backlash.
Mario Kart World shocked 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 World is 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 that Mario Kart World will cost $80 for the digital version and $90 for a physical copy. Not all Switch 2 titles will be so expensive, with Donkey Kong Bananza asking for the industry standard of $70, but fans were quick to call out Mario Kart and the console’s paid next-gen updates for being too pricey.
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In an 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 latest Mario Kart is “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 that Mario Kart World could have a Breath of the Wild effect by reinventing the series in an open-world format, which does suggest a lot of content. Still, Breath of the Wild did not come with a price increase over previous Zelda titles, 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
Trinen said the same idea applies to the Switch 2’s next-gen upgrades. Gamers who already own a game on Switch have to pay an additional $10 to upgrade to the Switch 2 version, which Trinen says is another reflection of a game’s value. Nvidia claims the Switch 2 has 10 times the graphical performance of the original, so this boost could be enough to justify another $10 on top of the game’s base price in Nintendo’s eyes, based on Trinen’s statements. The VP also pointed out that Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers will get these updated versions at no extra cost.
These statements make it seem like Nintendo is unlikely to bow to public pressure when it comes to its next-gen pricing. Some games, like Donkey 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 in criticizing the Switch 2’s price and performance after the Direct, and ex-Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida said the costs surprised him, but Nintendo remains firm in its decision.
- Released
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June 2, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo