Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the release of Mario Kart World alongside it, one of the biggest topics of conversation among fans of games has been the new $80 price tag that is seemingly becoming standard all over the industry. In a recent video, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida spoke to former Nintendo PR employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Lang about the new price tag.
In the conversation, Yoshida mentioned that, historically, gaming has been an incredibly affordable hobby since the industry has largely avoided raising prices due to inflation. He also pointed to some games having more expensive versions available through deluxe edition releases that can cost up to $100 or beyond. While he noted that they are expensive, he also mentioned that “some people see the benefit, so they spend that $100… so it’s up to you if you see the value or not.”
When it comes to games like Mario Kart World, however, Yoshida said that the game justifies its $80 price tag by just having loads of content that would keep players busy for several hours. He also brought up a comparison to the previous game in the franchise – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – which was one of the best-selling titles for the original Switch since its release.
“When you look at the value that the amount of entertainment a good video game provides, like Mario Kart 8, so many people played hours and hours and hours right with just one purchase, or maybe you know some people paid for additional tracks.” said Yoshida. “So it’s really up to the game and people have to [judge] which game provides the entertainment that you want and see if it makes sense to pay the price on day one, or some games, you know, many games [the] price comes down when you wait as well.”
Ever since Nintendo officially unveiled Mario Kart World and its price tag, the company has been on the defensive because of criticism from fans of the franchise about it being too expensive thanks to its $80 price. Shortly after unveiling the game back in April, Nintendo of America’s VP of product and player experience, Bill Trinen, spoke about how the value offered by Mario Kart World justified its price.
“But honestly,” Trinen explained, “this is a game that is so big and vast, and you will find so many little things in it to discover. And there’s still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they’re going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they’ve ever had.”
When it came to the price tag for other Switch 2 titles, like the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom coming in at $70 and $80 respectively, Trinen spoke about how Nintendo looks at the value offered by each game individually.
“Well, again, what I would say, is that we just look at each game, and we look at the content and the value of that game, and then we say, ‘What is the right price for the value of this entertainment?’” he said.
For more details, check out our review of Mario Kart World, as well as our review of the Switch 2 console.
