Amid the intense backlash surrounding Nintendo's pricing strategy for the 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 disappointment with the way Nintendo unveiled 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." Their concern extends beyond Mario Kart World, as other Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also carry a $79.99 price. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial video game experience, Welcome Tour, which many fans believe should be a free pack-in, similar to Astro's Playroom, which is pre-installed on every PlayStation 5 console as a free tech demo for the DualSense controller.
The frustration over pricing has even spilled into Nintendo’s Treehouse livestreams, where viewers are flooding the chat with messages demanding Nintendo to "DROP THE PRICE." Ellis and Yang were particularly critical of Nintendo's approach to revealing the price of the Switch 2 and its games. They highlighted the omission of pricing information from the Direct presentation as a deliberate move that led to confusion and misinformation as fans searched for pricing details elsewhere.
Nintendo Switch 2 System and Accessories Gallery
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Yang pointed out that the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World pricing was "intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason," but criticized the execution, noting that it forced consumers to piece together information from various sources. Ellis added, "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, saying, "It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer."
The former NOA communications staff further criticized Nintendo's failure to address the pricing concerns either publicly or in interviews with the press. This silence, they argued, has allowed rampant speculation and misinformation to dominate the narrative. Yang remarked, "They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control," with Ellis adding, "They have lost control of this."
Ellis and Yang suggested that Nintendo's current situation reflects a lack of consumer mindfulness that was once a hallmark of the company, particularly following the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata. They mentioned that Nintendo's communications team is likely recommending an official statement, but the approval process will be complex and involve many people before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa.
Moreover, the duo noted that Nintendo is out of practice in communicating with its community and press, having not faced such negativity since the 2011 Nintendo 3DS price debacle. They expressed concern for staff at public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions, who may be confronted with pricing questions from fans. Any response from these staff members could be misconstrued as Nintendo's official stance if shared online.
Looking ahead, neither Ellis nor Yang anticipate a price reduction for either the Switch 2 or its games before their launch. For more insights, 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.
