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

Amidst the heated backlash regarding the pricing of the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers, Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, have labeled the situation as "a true crisis moment for Nintendo." In a video on their YouTube channel, the former Nintendo of America PR managers expressed their concerns over the way Nintendo announced the $449.99 price tag for the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price for Mario Kart World.

Ellis stated, "I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo." The pricing isn't limited to Mario Kart World; other Switch 2 titles, such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, also come with a $79.99 price tag. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial game, Welcome Tour, which fans argue should be a free pack-in. For comparison, Astro's Playroom comes pre-installed on every PlayStation 5, serving as a free tech demo for the DualSense controller.

The discontent over pricing has even infiltrated Nintendo's Treehouse livestreams, with viewers flooding the chat with demands to "DROP THE PRICE." Ellis and Yang were particularly critical of Nintendo's approach to revealing the pricing, noting that the lack of price information in the Direct presentation was a "deliberate" omission. This led to confusion and misinformation as fans sought pricing details from various sources.

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Yang highlighted that the omission of pricing from the Direct was intentional, but the scattered release of information was poorly managed, leaving fans to piece together the details themselves. Ellis further criticized this approach, suggesting it shows a lack of respect for the consumer: "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 cost because you’re so excited, aren’t you?’"

Yang echoed this sentiment, adding, "It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer." The former NOA communications staff also pointed out Nintendo's failure to address the pricing concerns publicly, which has led to rampant speculation and misinformation.

Ellis and Yang suggested that Nintendo has lost the consumer mindfulness it once had, especially after the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata. They anticipate that Nintendo's communications team will push for an official statement, but the process will be challenging and involve many layers of approval before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa.

Nintendo's lack of recent communication with its community and press, coupled with not having dealt with such negativity since the 2011 Nintendo 3DS price debacle, further complicates the situation. There are also concerns for staff at public Switch 2 demo sessions, who may be asked about pricing and whose responses could be misconstrued as official statements if shared online.

As for what's next, neither Ellis nor Yang expect a price reduction for the Switch 2 or its games before launch. For further insights, you can explore 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.