Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding 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 detailed video on their YouTube channel, the former Nintendo of America (NOA) PR managers critiqued the company's decision to set the Switch 2 at $449.99 and Mario Kart World at $79.99.
"I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo," Ellis remarked, highlighting the gravity of the situation. The backlash isn't limited to Mario Kart World; other titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also carry the $79.99 price tag on the Switch 2. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Welcome Tour, a tutorial video game experience that fans argue should be included for free, similar to Astro's Playroom on the PlayStation 5, which serves as both a tech demo and a free pack-in.
The uproar over pricing has even disrupted Nintendo’s Treehouse livestreams, with viewers flooding the chat with demands to "DROP THE PRICE." Ellis and Yang criticized the way Nintendo disclosed the prices, noting that the omission of pricing details in the Direct presentation was a deliberate move that led to widespread confusion and misinformation as fans sought out pricing information elsewhere.
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Yang suggested that the pricing was "intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason," but the scattered nature of the information led to consumer frustration. "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?’" Ellis added, indicating a perceived disregard for consumer intelligence.
The former NOA communications team also criticized Nintendo's silence on the issue, noting that the lack of an official statement or press interviews has fueled rampant speculation and misinformation. "They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control," Yang stated, with Ellis adding, "They have lost control of this."
Ellis and Yang attributed part of the problem to a shift in Nintendo's consumer mindfulness following the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata. They suggested that Nintendo's communications team would likely recommend an official statement, but the process would be cumbersome and require multiple approvals before reaching current Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa.
Additionally, they noted that Nintendo is out of practice in dealing with such public negativity since the 2011 Nintendo 3DS price debacle. Concerns were raised about the upcoming public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions, where staff at demo stations may be confronted with pricing questions that could be misconstrued as official responses if shared online.
Looking forward, neither Ellis nor Yang anticipate a price reduction for the Switch 2 or its games before launch. For further insights, readers can explore everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct and expert opinions on the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.
