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

In the wake of the controversial pricing for the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers have labeled the situation as "a true crisis moment for Nintendo."

Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang, who previously served as PR managers at Nintendo of America, took to their YouTube channel to voice their concerns over the $449.99 price tag for the Switch 2 and the $79.99 for Mario Kart World. "I don’t want to blow things out of proportion, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo," Ellis remarked.

It's not just Mario Kart World; other Switch 2 titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also carry a $79.99 price tag. Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial experience, Welcome Tour, which fans argue should be a free pack-in, much like Astro's Playroom on the PlayStation 5, which serves as a complimentary tech demo for the DualSense controller.

The backlash has even infiltrated Nintendo's Treehouse livestreams, where viewers have bombarded the chat with messages demanding a price drop.

Ellis and Yang criticized the manner in which Nintendo disclosed the pricing, pointing out that the lack of pricing information in the Nintendo Direct was a "deliberate" omission. This led to confusion and misinformation as fans searched for pricing details elsewhere. "The Switch 2 and Mario Kart World pricing was 'intentionally omitted from the Direct for a reason,' Yang claimed, 'but handled poorly in terms of the information being in all these different places and you’re expecting the fans or the consumer to piece it all together.'"

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Ellis further commented, "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 added, "It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer."

The former NOA communications staff criticized Nintendo's failure to address the pricing concerns through a public statement or in interviews with the press, leading to rampant speculation and misinformation. "They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control," Yang said, with Ellis adding, "They have lost control of this."

Ellis and Yang suggested that Nintendo's current lack of consumer mindfulness stems from 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 recommend an official statement, but the process will be challenging and involve many layers of approval before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa.

Nintendo is also out of practice in communicating with its community and press, having not faced such negativity since the 2011 Nintendo 3DS price controversy. There are concerns about how staff at public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions will handle fans' questions, as any response could be misconstrued as an official statement if it ends up online.

As for what happens next, neither Ellis nor Yang expect a price reduction for the Switch 2 or its games before launch.

For more information, explore everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and delve into what the experts have to say about the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.