Nintendo breaks silence on Switch 2 games price controversy

Nintendo has addressed the backlash it has faced for bumping up the price of Switch 2 games to $80 for digital copies and $90 for physical ones in some cases.

On April 2, Nintendo fully revealed the Switch 2 console along with a number of first and third party games releasing on it during a livestream.

Despite there being so many games and technical details of the Switch 2 being revealed, one big talking point came immediately afterwards about pricing.

Nintendo raising the price of its games led to a huge backlash from fans, so much so that during two Treehouse streams where the company shared gameplay of upcoming titles running on the Switch 2, the comments section was flooded with 'drop the price'.

It doesn't seem the internet has taken too kindly to Nintendo doing this - the current industry standard for AAA games is around the $70 mark for a standard edition.

But Switch 2 exclusives and Switch 2 Editions of games that have already initially released will cost up to $80 digitally and $90 physically in some cases, such as Mario Kart World and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Switch 2 games such as Mario Kart World will cost $80 digitally and $90 for a physical copy / Screenshot from Nintendo

Bill Trinen, Nintendo of America's Vice President of Product and Player Experience, spoke with IGN during a Switch 2 preview event in New York on April 3 after the prices had been fully revealed and before US preorders had been halted.

"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.

"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."

Elsewhere, Sabrina Carpenter's Fortnite skins have been officially revealed and Square Enix may have officially teased Final Fantasy 9 Remake.

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