Amidst the ongoing backlash to Nintendo's surprising pricing for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World, two former Nintendo PR managers have labeled the situation as "a true crisis moment for Nintendo." In a detailed video on their YouTube channel, former Nintendo of America PR managers Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang expressed strong criticism towards Nintendo's approach in revealing the $449.99 price for the Switch 2 and the $79.99 price tag for Mario Kart World.
"I don’t want to overstate the issue, but this does feel like a true crisis moment for Nintendo," Ellis remarked. The pricing isn't limited to Mario Kart World; other titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Switch 2 also carry the hefty $79.99 price. Additionally, Nintendo has faced criticism for charging for the Switch 2 tutorial game, Welcome Tour, which many fans believe should be included for free, much like Astro's Playroom is on the PlayStation 5.
The discontent has even permeated 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, pointing out the deliberate omission of pricing from the Direct presentation. This led to widespread confusion and misinformation as fans searched for pricing details elsewhere.
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Yang suggested that the omission of pricing from the Direct was intentional, but poorly executed, leaving consumers to piece together the information from various sources. "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 costs because you’re so excited, aren’t you?’" Ellis stated. Yang added, "It’s a little bit degrading almost to the intelligence of the consumer."
The former NOA communications team also highlighted Nintendo’s failure to address the pricing concerns through a public statement or press interviews, which has led to rampant speculation and misinformation filling the void. "They are enabling the story to get out of hand, out of control," Yang noted, with Ellis adding, "They have lost control of this."
Ellis and Yang suggested that Nintendo's current approach lacks the consumer mindfulness it once had, attributing this shift to the retirement of former NOA boss Reggie Fils-Aimé and the tragic loss of former Nintendo head Satoru Iwata. They believe that Nintendo's communications team will need to recommend an official statement, but the approval process will be challenging and involve many stakeholders before reaching current Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa.
Furthermore, the company is out of practice in communicating with its community and press, having not faced such negativity since the Nintendo 3DS price debacle in 2011. There's also concern for staff at public-facing Switch 2 hands-on sessions, who may be confronted with questions about pricing that could be misconstrued as Nintendo's official response if shared online.
While it remains unclear what will happen next, neither Ellis nor Yang anticipate a price drop for the Switch 2 or its games before launch. For more insights, you can explore everything announced at the Switch 2 Nintendo Direct and what experts are saying about the Switch 2 price and Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag.
